Guardian Angel
by All Mighty Ruler
Summary: Max and Fang have been friends for years but when tragedy strikes Fang become distant; she gets worried. He starts hanging out with the wrong crowds and soon becomes hostile. How much will it take for Max to save him? Can she really be his guardian angel?
1. Chapter 1

Hey everybody,

Here's a new story inspired by Amy-Katherine914's story Your Existence Gives Me Wings. Just as a warning, it will be pretty sad!

I'm just going to say this in the beginning; the real plot will develop in the third or fourth chapter. So, just bear with me for awhile. This story is all human, Iggy isn't blind, and it has FAX.

Disclaimer- I do not own Maximum Ride.

So, here's installment one, enjoy!

* * *

"The blood results were taken and put through all the tests. They came back as Ben Greene." Fang said, looking down at the papers in front of him. "There is a very high chance it is him." He continued, looking up at the teacher.

"No way!" Lissa shouted from across the room. "It was Will Anderson and you know it! His fingerprints were on the gun. He shot the bank teller!" The debate got more and more heated as each team continued to argue.

"The information backs up the fact that he had a fresh wound when he was found and his blood was at the crime scene. It only makes sense!" Fang shot back, glaring at Lissa pointedly. I smiled as I watched them argue back and forth. They always got really into the debates and mock trials. I guess that was the beauty of an all-junior Forensics class.

"You're both wrong!" Iggy shouted from behind me, "It was the butler in the parlor with the candlestick!" the room burst into laughter. Even Fang grinned, breaking his usual impassive mask for Iggy's idiocy.

I turned around, slapping him a high five. We were the only two not taking part in the debate because we had decided to skip class when we did all of the information checks for it so, basically, we had no clue what we were supposed to do.

"As true as that may be, Iggy, we're running out of time." Mr. Patterson said picking up all of his papers off of the desk he was sitting at. "We'll continue this debate tomorrow. You can talk amongst yourselves until the bell rings."

I grinned and looked around at Iggy, talking to him softly as Fang walked over slowly, having had to make up an extremely detailed excuse not to talk to Lissa.

"I swear," Fang said, pulling a chair next to the two desks and sitting on it backwards, "Sometimes that girl just has borderline stalker potential!" I smirked and glanced over at her, seeing her staring over at Fang, mouth hanging open as she took in all of his features.

"Well, at least you know someone loves you." I said, laughing slightly. "Iggy, on the other hand, has no one to like him." I added, jokingly.

"I only have you, Maxie." Iggy said, draping his arm over my shoulders limply. I tried to shrug it off but it just stayed in place. After about five tries, I gave up.

"You two are crazy." Fang said, looking between me and Iggy. "Sometimes you act just like a married couple. I can really see you two going out." He added. Iggy and I took a fleeting glance at one another and immediately sprang apart, pretty much flying to opposite ends of the room. This seemed to amuse Fang greatly, so he just started laughing hysterically. I rolled my eyes and grabbed my backpack off of the floor, knowing the bell would ring any minute. Fang and Iggy both followed my example.

"Where are you two going next?" Iggy asked, looking at us. Even though we had been in school for at least three months, we never bothered to remember each other's schedules, let alone our own. I grabbed my schedule out of my bag and looked down at it, not feeling embarrassed for not remembering. Fang was doing the same.

"English," I said, getting excited for it. It was my favorite class. For some reason, writing was something I loved to do. It kind of just let me make things up that would be really cool. I'm not a good writer, per say, but I do come up with interesting concepts for essays or stories.

"History," Fang answered his lip curling down in disgust.

"Cool, me too!" Iggy exclaimed, doing a super secret handshake with Fang. I rolled my eyes and chuckled at them. They had made up the handshake when they were in the third grade and yet they still did it at least five times a day. That is what I call a good friendship. "I'm so excited!" Iggy added, grinning cheekily. He was the only person who actually liked history, probably because half of the time we're talking about some kind of bomb or war, which he had a very keen interest in. I smiled and shook my head.

"Don't you ever think that maybe we should actually remember what classes we have?" I asked as I shoved my paper back into the pocket on my bag.

Fang and Iggy both looked at each other and turned back to me, saying "Definitely not." I shook my head disapprovingly and sighed as the bell rang.

"Good luck in English." Fang called out as we left the room, he and Iggy already starting to walk down a different hallway than me. I smiled to myself and opened the doors to the stairwell, taking them slowly, one at a time.

I basically took a walk around the school to avoid being the first person in the classroom but I still managed to be early. I sat down in my usual chair, noting that there was more pencil marks written all over it. I read the top left corner next to the indentation for a pencil or pen and almost burst out laughing; written inside of a large heart read 'Lissa Carmichael + Fang Keyes'. I rolled my eyes at it and erased it quickly, knowing that some rumor-spreading girl was going to see it and tell it to everyone she knew and I think we all know how much Fang wants that.

"Hey, Max," A voice said nervously and I turned around, seeing Sam Fuller behind me, grinning apprehensively from ear to ear.

"Hey Sam, what's up?" I asked, turning to fully face him. Even though it creeped some people out, I liked to make eye contact when I spoke to someone. Most of the time they just look away awkwardly when you stare them in the eye but sometimes you can have a war over who would break the gaze first. It was actually pretty cool. Sam was one to shy away from eye contact.

"The sky?" he said, probably not making it sound more like a question. I grinned at him and he seemed to loosen up a little bit. Sam had been known to have a crush on me for quite some time but neither of us really made anything of it. We had a pretty good friendship and why ruin that?

"Touché," I said, winking at him. He smiled, seeming to fully relax into his chair now. We always talked in class and sometimes even over the phone (whether it was talk or text). It was rare that there was a day where we didn't talk and I was perfectly fine with it.

"So, are you going to the dance on Friday?" He asked, looking at me hopefully.

"What day is that?" I asked, figuring that it would be helpful to know what day I would be going to the dance.

"The seventh," he answered, waiting for a reply. I just looked at him, urging him to go on. He continued, "Of December."

"Oh," I said. I honestly thought it was still October. I wracked my brain; trying to figure out what I was doing on the seventh of December (I was also extremely ecstatic that I knew what day it was going to be on). "I have to babysit the kids that live across the street from me."

"Oh, well can't you get out of it? You're always too busy to have any fun." He said, naively. I chuckled dryly, knowing what he meant. I never had any time to hang out with friends outside of school. I was always at work, babysitting, or doing homework. I was just an extremely busy girl.

"I promised them I would watch their kids while they went out for their anniversary," I said, looking at him, knowing why he was asking in the first place. He asked me if I was going every time there was a dance and each and every time I said no.

"Maybe next time," He said, standing up, stretching out his back.

"Next time," I promised, smiling at him. "I swear." He grinned and walked over to his seat, seeing as all of the other kids had come in and that he was sitting in the seat of the person who sat behind me.

Class started and let's just say that I was really eager to get home to work on my new essay prompt. This time we were allowed to write a persuasive essay about anything we wanted. The only requirements were that it be about something we feel strongly about and that it must include real life experiences. The only problem; I had neither ideas for it, nor any real life experiences I would be able to use. Luckily we had the whole year to work on this. It was the essay that would make most of our grade for the second semester. Maybe something would happen to me during the six months before I had to hand it in that would make an essay-worthy idea.

Class ended and I sighed in relief when I realized that it was the last class of the day. Sometimes, school was just way too long. I strode down the hallway, planning to just get to my locker and leave the premises as soon as I could but, of course, I just have to get stopped in the middle of the hallway by none other than my best friend himself.

"So, are you going to the game tonight?" Fang asked stopping me before I turned down the hallway my locker was in. He, of course, was referring to his basketball game. Unlike most schools, we have basketball year round. There are just too many kids who want to play to only have it during the winter so they have two teams. One plays during the winter and fall while the other plays during the spring and summer. Fang was obviously on the fall and winter team.

"I'll think about it." I said, smiling mischievously at him. I walked around him, looking forwards to going home.

"Please tell me you're kidding!" Fang exclaimed, following me down the hallway, grabbing my arm and pulling me around to face him. "It's the first game of the season and I'm point!"

I smiled at him and he seemed to calm down. "Relax; I wouldn't miss it for the world!" I said, starting to walk again.

"Good," He muttered, walking besides me as we went to my locker. Apparently he had already been to his. I looked over at him quizzically and he looked up, realizing that I had heard him. "It's just, uh; you're my good luck charm." He said sheepishly, looking at me carefully. As much as a lie as that was, it was possible it could be true. I went to almost every single one of his games and they never lost. I was convinced that Fang was just an amazing player surrounded by more great players but he continued to think otherwise.

"Would you really think I wouldn't come?" I asked, stopping at my locker. I started to turn the dial as I continued, "I've only missed one of your games since freshman year and even then I had Nudge tell me everything over the phone."

He smiled, probably remembering what had happened. I had gotten sick about halfway through his season during sophomore year so I wasn't able to come to the game. His adopted sister, Nudge, called me and explained every detail of the game to me including the pointless things that only she would talk about like 'how hot' all high school guys are. She wasn't in high school at the time seeing as we were two grades above her. So, seeing as we're juniors now, she's a freshman.

It was amazing how much Fang and Nudge were different even though they got along every second of every day. Ever since Fang's parents adopted Nudge when she was four, he had loved her with all his heart. Of course, being the typical older brother, he had to be the person to rain on her parade sometimes (mainly when it came to boys and dates) but she always knew that he did it for her which is the part that amazed me. I had honestly never seen them fight. Ever. I was still really good friends with Nudge, seeing as she was my best friend that was a girl while Fang and Iggy were my guy best friends. She was pretty much the exact opposite of me though. She liked boys, fashion, boys, parties, and boys while I liked friends, an occasional boy or two, and sports. She wasn't the slutty kind of girl when it came to guys; she just fit in with them just as much as she did with girls, thus proving that she could automatically become a great person for guys to talk to considering she knew almost everything about every kind of electronic device out there.

"Hello? Earth to Max!" Fang shouted in my ear, waving his hand quickly through the air in front of my face. I blinked twice and looked over at him. I guess I had zoned out for a little bit. I didn't even notice that we weren't even at my locker anymore.

"Sorry," I said, walking with him out the main doors to the school. "I was just thinking about something." I added, knowing he would want an explanation of what I was thinking about. I figured he would be able to go one day without knowing what I was thinking.

"It's okay. Sometimes you need to clear out all the junk in there." Fang said, lightly hitting me on the top of the head, as if he were saying my brain was too cluttered which, in a way, was actually true.

"So, guess what I saw today?" I asked him rhetorically. He usually never actually guessed when I said 'Guess what?' but I was hoping he was creative today.

"You saw a zombie UFO with dinosaur stickers?" He asked, mock enthusiasm oozing off of his words. I rolled my eyes, wondering how in the name of James Patterson he came up with that.

"Uh, no," I said, looking at him pointedly. He hung his head in feign shame. I laughed at him and continued what I was saying. "I saw a wonderful drawing on my English desk involving you and a certain Red-Haired Wonder." I had always called Lissa the Red-Haired Wonder, obviously, because of her red hair but some of it was because I didn't really like her. It wasn't that she was mean or anything, I just thought she was a little too hyper active for me. She was always talking and going out with a different guy every time I saw her but once she met Fang, she had eyes only for him. It was enough to make me sick.

"Oh, great," He said, groaning. "Just what I need: more rumors circulating about us 'going out'." He had raised his hands up and made air quotes as he said 'going out'. He really didn't find her too appealing in the boyfriend and girlfriend kind of way but they were still friends which really didn't bother me as much as it used to.

"I erased it. Don't worry." I said, smiling at him. I rocked back and forth as we walked through the parking lot to Fang's car. I always caught a ride with him because we were technically going to the same place anyway. Oh, did I forget to mention that Fang and I are neighbors? Oh, well, we're neighbors!

"Thank god," he said, grinning as I pushed him slightly in my rocking motion. "I don't know what I would do without you." He said, putting his arm around my shoulders and bringing me into his chest. I felt myself immediately warm up as soon as I felt his skin on mine. It was a nice change from the crisp December air but his touch sent cool electric jolts down my spine.

"You would be a wreck." I pointed out, thinking of how many times I've had to help him with the littlest things that really should be common sense. "You would be absolutely nothing without me!" I exaggerated proudly, grinning cheekily at him as we split up to go to opposite sides of the car. He unlocked it and I practically jumped in, realizing how cold it was out without Fang keeping me warm. He started up the car and looked over at me as I shuddered from the chilly air. He leaned over and rubbed his hand on my leg, smiling. I felt a tingling sensation run through all of my nerves as he touched me.

We pulled out of the parking lot and started our long journey (about ten minutes) home. We sat in silence for half the ride, not really having anything else to talk about. It wasn't the awkward kind of silence that a lot of people get when they're with friends. It was a content silence. We were both perfectly fine with the solitude of being with one another. That is, until one of us breaks the peace.

"So is Iggy coming to the game?" Fang asked, looking over at me from where we were stopped at a red light. "I need him there too, you know."

"I think he is." I answered, not actually knowing at all. I just figured I'd call and ask him later. "I'm not sure though." He muttered something about us both being there and I chuckled, randomly catching his attention.

"What are you laughing at?" He asked, glaring over at me.

"It's just that you think you need us there in order to do well at your games when, in reality, even if we weren't there you would do absolutely amazing." I said, the explanation not coming out as well as I thought it would in my mind. I mentally scolded myself for no real reason.

"I do need you guys there, or at least one of you." He said stubbornly. "Anyway, it's not that boring. I mean, one, Nudge is there to keep you company, and two, you get to see me in a uniform." He added, winking over at me.

I scoffed and muttered, "Sexist pig," causing him to laugh, making me get goose bumps. "Nudge is the one who needs me there, remember?" I said reminding him that Nudge really wasn't a very big fan of basketball. She still thought that when you get the ball in the hoop it's called a touchdown. We've done all that we can to set her straight but she's convinced. "And I see you in your uniform all the time. It's nothing special." I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

"Real mature," He said, admitting defeat.

"I never said I was!" I said, grinning. He smiled over at me as we pulled into his driveway. "So, you're driving me to the game, right?" I said, making sure that we knew what we were doing. Even though I had my own car, I never really drove it anywhere because I was always with friends when I was out. The only place I actually drove my Jeep was to work. Fang and I had taken a partnership in taking care of his Mustang considering that I loved it just as much as he did. We both paid put our blood sweat and tears (well, maybe not blood and tears, but there was a lot of sweat) into making it the best it can be.

"That would be correct." Fang answered, looking over at me from where he was drumming his fingers on the leather-covered steering wheel. "And your finding out if Iggy is coming, right?" He asked.

"That would also be correct." I stated, copying his tone. We laughed as we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways; him into his house and me over the short patch of grass over to mine. I pulled out my key, sliding it into the lock, and opened the door, inhaling deeply as the sweet smell of freshly baked cookies filled my lungs. I smiled as I dropped my bag on a hook hanging next to the door and put my phone on a long table running throughout the hallway.

I walked into the kitchen, still taking deep breaths. I looked over at the stove and saw a tray of chocolate chip cookies being held by Ella, my sister.

"Did you make these just for me?" I asked, grabbing one off of the tray. I tried not to burn my fingers as I pulled it off but failed miserably. I grunted in pain as I stuck my fingers under the faucet.

"Yes, yes I did." Ella said, chuckling softly. "Mom had to go to work to finish up some billing." She added as an afterthought, probably figuring it would be helpful for me to know.

"Okay," I said shortly, not really listening to her but instead becoming entranced by Ella's cookies. Even though my mom's cookies were amazing, Ella's were heavenly. It was always a treat when she cooked because I couldn't cook to save my life. "How was school?" I asked, looking down at her.

"Eh, it was okay," She said, her lip rising in distaste. "I really can't wait until I'm in high school with you but I can't believe I only get one year in the same school as you! Then you go to college!" She said, frowning. Ella was in the eighth grade this year, which meant that next year would be the only year that both of us were in the same high school. I was planning on making it a great year for her considering that after that I was barely going to be with her because of college and what not.

"I know, I can't wait until next year." I said, grinning at her. "I have homework. I'll be upstairs if you need anything." I said, grabbing another cookie off of the tray and heading upstairs where I figured I could kill some time before Fang's game. I just went to my desk and opened my laptop, opening a word document.

I still had no idea what to write about.

* * *

So, I played with their ages a little bit but it all still works.

This chapter pretty much introduced most of the characters that will be showing up more and more (along with the parents of Max/Ella and Fang/Nudge who were, in fact, not in this chapter).


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, sorry about the wait.

Remember that this is all human, a FAX story. No MIGGY other than them being FRIENDS. They have NO wings and Iggy is NOT blind.

Anyway, Installment two! (I don't feel like calling them chapters…)

* * *

"Max!" Ella called up the stairs, "Max, Your phone is ringing!" I got up off my bed, realizing that I had forgotten to take my phone off of the table in the hallway when I came upstairs.

I skipped down the hallway and down the stairs, storming down them, seeing how fast I could get down them. I found my way through our hallways and into the kitchen, seeing Ella at the kitchen table with my cell phone on the corner.

"It's Iggy," She said, trying not to smile. Ever since she met Iggy (that was when he moved here in the third grade) she's had a crush on him. It wasn't the kind of crush where she went all stalker-like on him like Lissa; it was the kind where you get happy when you talk to him and your eyes light up at the sound of his voice.

I nodded and picked up the phone, seeing that she had already answered it. I held it up to my ear, not saying anything into it. I felt my lips tug up as I heard Iggy singing Miley Cyrus' Party in the USA very enthusiastically. I was surprised he knew all the lyrics. I looked over at Ella, motioning for her to come over to me. She got up slowly, pushing her homework on the table and came over. I held the phone out so we could both hear it and I saw that it took all the strength she could muster up not to burst out laughing. Miley Cyrus wasn't really Iggy's type of music.

Ella and I began singing the words with him (they play her on the radio way to much) and he stopped singing immediately as we continued to sing the last line of the chorus while laughing hysterically. I could almost see him turning five shades redder as he held the phone to his ear.

"Iggy? I asked, stifling back my laughter.

"Yeah?" He asked tentatively, waiting a couple seconds before answering me.

"I really hate that song," I said, just as Ella shouted, "Me too!" into the receiver. I smiled as she shook her head and sat back down, picking up her pencil and doodling on the corner of her paper.

I smiled at her and left the room so I wouldn't distract her with our conversation. We always got into the weirdest arguments so once we started talking it would probably be hard for her to concentrate on her homework.

"So, Iggy," I started, walking up the stairs slowly, "I didn't know you liked Miley Cyrus." I heard him groan into the phone as he started denying it.

"I do not! The stupid song was stuck in my head and the only way for me to get it out is to sing it!" he said, trying to convince me. Somehow, it didn't work. I just smirked and listened to his rant. "It's not my fault she sings songs that get into your head and don't get out!"

"Relax," I said, calming him down, "Before you give yourself a hernia." I said, smiling as I went into my room once more.

"Okay, okay, fine," he said, taking deep breaths into the phone.

"Why'd you call anyway?" I asked, wondering that for the first time since I picked up the phone, "Other than to serenade me with crappy lyrics and a tone deaf voice." I heard him groan again and I smiled, knowing I was doing a good job annoying him.

"Are you going to the game?" he asked, "I wasn't sure whether Fang asked you or not." I smiled; he and Fang were best friends. I really doubted that there was something about one of them that the other didn't know. They had a very strange, yet amazing, bond between the two of them. If I didn't know any better, I would say that they were brother, which, obviously, wasn't the case considering they looked nothing alike.

"Yeah, I am," I said, recalling our conversation in the car just an hour earlier, "Are you going?" I asked, figuring I would ask now instead of calling him again later saying that I forgot to ask.

"I don't know." He said. I was surprised for a minute. Iggy went to every single of Fang's games. They both had an obsession with basketball even though Iggy didn't play. He stuck to playing the piano instead. They would get together every time their favorite college teams had games and pig out on chips and ice cream while watching the game. I had the opportunity to see that first hand last year when I had went to hang out with Nudge. She was nervous about something so I, being the comforting, calming person in the group, went to help her.

"You don't know?" I asked, wondering what was so bad that he wouldn't be able to come. "Why don't you know?"

"I have a ton of homework tonight and for once I actually want to do it." He said. I snorted in response. Iggy got straight A's but I had no idea how he did it. I had never seen that boy hand in one paper, whether it was homework, class work, or tests.

"Ig, when have you ever done your homework?" I asked, honestly now knowing the answer to my own question. "And don't you have study hall first period tomorrow anyway?"

"I feel like a change of pace," He said simply. I could imagine him shrugging with an earnest expression painted on his face. "And I do have study hall but I was planning on sleeping in late so I don't have to worry about setting my alarm clock or anything." I smiled. Only he would take a study hall in order to sleep in late. You see, we have rotating schedules so we only have six of out eight classes per day (and lunch). The rules are that if you are a junior or a senior and you have study hall first thing in the morning or last period of the day, you can leave early or come in late. Iggy took advantage of that every single day.

"Well, actually come to school on time so you can do your homework and then you can come to the game tonight. You know Fang wants us there. He doesn't need us, but he wants us there." I said, making sure that he was coming.

"As much as I love homework, I'm just not going to do it." He said, I could hear books falling in the background. "Oops." He said and I laughed.

"What'd you do?" I asked, expecting the worst.

"Oh, nothing," he said casually, papers shuffled in the background and I felt my eyebrows come together in confusion of what he was doing. "I just don't think that they'll be getting my bio book back." I heard tearing and I laughed, knowing that he was probably the only person on the planet who could rip their book apart while trying to do their homework. "I'm going to go try and fix this. I'll talk to you at the game." He said dismissively. A conversation with Iggy was never boring. Ever.

I said my goodbyes and pressed 'end' thus, ending the call. I twirled my phone in my hand, studying it for a couple minutes. It was an old model and not really the prettiest but I didn't mind. I almost never used it anyway. I just kept it on me just in case anything happened.

I turned it over in my hands and ran my fingers over the battery. Freshman year, Fang and I had the same art class and in it, we were painting. He had decided to paint all over my phone, outlining it in permanent marker. Most of the paint wore off by the end of the year but the marker was still there. He had written 'Fang is my BFF' in graffiti letters. I remembered laughing hysterically while looking at it the first time. He knew that I never called him my 'BFF' but he decided to write it anyway.

I sighed, letting my mind drift off to other things. I plugged my laptop into the charger after seeing that it was almost dead and I sat down on my bed, grabbing a small baseball off of my nightstand. I threw it up in the air, catching it right before it hit my face. I proceeded to do this for at least a half hour before I heard a knock at my door.

I looked over at it, not realizing what time it was.

"Hey Maxie," a voice said and I groaned, seeing Fang standing in the doorframe. "Ready to go?" he asked, walking into my room.

"I didn't realize what time it was," I said, getting off of my bed slowly and walking over to him, grabbing my phone in the process. He led my down the stairs and I looked at him more thoroughly. He was wearing his blue and yellow jersey with large sweats over the shorts. He had slip on sandals and socks on his feet. I laughed quietly. He was probably the only person I knew who could pull off this look and actually make it look really good. It would be sad if anyone else attempted it.

"I'm so pumped!" Fang exclaimed, jumping up and down as we exited the house. I had already said goodbye to Ella and I told her to lock the door and all that good stuff. "I can't believe that we're already playing games!" He said.

"You act as if you haven't played in years," I said, walking with him over to his garage. We both got into his car, yet again, and I smiled as I slowly warmed up with the car.

"It feels like I haven't," He said, defending himself. I chuckled and reaching over to the radio. I turned on our favorite rock station and raised the volume, singing along to the lyrics as the song went on. Fang and I belted out the choruses and sang the words carefully for the whole trip. We, being the rock-crazed teenagers that we were, knew all the words to every song, so we had no problem with singing loudly and obnoxiously. People in other cars rolled down their windows in order to hear the songs we were singing. It was all actually pretty cool.

Eventually, our wonderful singing session had to be finished up when we arrived at the school. I smiled as we got out of the car, Fang grabbing his bag with his shoes and braces from the trunk. I stood by the door as he locked the car and I felt a shiver go through me. Fang walked over and smirked, seeing my very cold state and he wrapped an arm around me. I really didn't know how he could be outside in cold weather in just a jersey. He was crazy.

Fang rubbed my arm briskly, sending electric jolts through me. I felt them every time we touched. By now, I expected to be used to it but I really wasn't. It still took me by surprise every single time it happened. We walked into the school, talking about the game and the opposing team. Apparently they were playing their rival today. I guessed it was just the kind of thing you would get excited about if you were playing.

We walked through the empty hallways, not yet seeing people because we were early for the game. All of the players on our team had to get there early so they could practice and warm up before they actually played. That and they all had a piece of chocolate cake before each game. It was like a ritual for our school. If they didn't eat the cake, they didn't play well. As you can probably tell, we had a very weird school.

Fang and I parted ways when he went into the boy's locker room and I kept on going to the gym. I gave him a hug and words for luck and he smiled, taking them acceptingly. I arrived in the gym five minutes later and I went over to the bleachers, sitting in my usual spot at the bottom right. Only about ten other people were there including Iggy. He ran over to me and sat down next to me, not saying anything at first. I started to hum the tune to Party in the USA and Iggy eventually looked over at me, glaring intently.

"Shut up!" He said once I was making it obvious that I was humming, "It was stuck in my head!"

"Geez, Iggy, all you had to do was tell me to stop." I said, looking at him. "Or, you could just sing along." I winked at him and he smacked me upside the head. I smiled and we talked as we waited for the basketball team to leave the locker room so we could watch. A half hour later, the bleachers were filled to the brim and the two teams were running across the court.

I watched as Matt, one of the players on our team, rebounded the ball, passing it to Fang as he brought it up the court. By now, all of the guys were sweating profusely and were gasping for air but the score was still tied at twenty two to twenty two. Iggy and I cheered on our team as Fang faked to the left and went in for a layup, quickly gaining us one more basket. The other team easily bounced back.

As the game wore on, the guys got more and more tired and it looked like they were slacking but after a quick time-out and a couple loud, very colorful words from out coach, they were right back into the game.

"Don't you think they should all just stop playing and break out into song and dance?" Iggy asked from next to me and I couldn't help but laugh hysterically. I regained my composure and began to watch the game again, imagining Fang just stop dribbling and start singing show tune-like songs while doing cheesy dances with the ball with the other players as back-up dancers. Trust me; it's not a pretty sight.

Iggy and I cheered on our players as both teams got basket after basket. The score was growing higher and higher but it stayed tied. It was an even match.

The seconds ticked away as the last five minutes of the game came and went slowly. Fang brought the ball down the court after it flying out of bounds thanks to the other team. There were only seconds left in the game and Fang passed the ball to Matt, quickly running around to set a block for him to go around. Matt glanced over at the clock, not moving his feet from where he stood. We were down two points and three would let us win. He took a deep breath and sprung up, shooting the ball from the three point line.

It seemed to soar through the air in slow motion as the room got quiet, waiting to see if it would go in. The ball bounced on the rim three times before making a 'swoosh' as it went through the net just as the buzzer went off. I stood up with the rest of the crowd, yelling and cheering for our team's win. The opposing team hung their head and walked down to their coaches and their benches while our team rallied the crowd.

Eventually, the noise died down as everyone started to leave, congratulating the team on their way out. Iggy and I hung out in the gym for awhile longer, waiting for Fang to come out of the locker rooms. They had some kind of team meeting after the game.

"That was a really good game." Iggy said, smiling over at me as he pretended to shoot a ball into the hoop, "It was so close."

"Yeah, thanks to Matt for getting that three-pointer," I said, grinning.

"Oh, you just like seeing the guys all sweaty in their uniforms!" Iggy said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"I only have eyes for you." I joked, staring straight at him through extremely wide eyes. He looked at me awkwardly and stepped back, laughing as he did so. I smiled and tapped my foot, waiting for Fang to come out. "Ugh, where is he?!" I asked, not wanting to wait any longer.

"Where's who?" a voice asked from behind me. I felt arms sling around me and I looked up to see Fang's chin resting on the top of my head. I smiled and turned around.

"Great game!" Iggy said, slapping Fang a high five.

"Yeah, really," I said, agreeing with him as we left the gym. "That was insane. The other team was so depressed!" Fang smiled as we left the building and stepped into the cold.

"I have to go," Iggy said, backing up to go over to his car, "I'll see you two tomorrow!" He called back over his shoulder as he ventured to go find where he parked his car.

"Well, that was fun." I said, grinning up at Fang. He smirked and chuckled lightly. We stayed in silence again as we walked over to the car. I took the time to actually look at Fang.

His dark hair was plastered onto his forehead and a thin layer of sweat covered his arms and legs. He wasn't wearing his sweatpants anymore; instead he just left on the shorts probably because he was dying of heat. His dark eyes seemed to sparkle in the dark. I looked up at him carefully, noting the expressionless mask he had put up once we had stopped talking.

I moved over to him and stayed at his side as we walked. I shivered once again and he brought me into his chest again. A lot of people would say that we looked like we were going out but in truth; I could never imagine dating Fang. It would just be plain weird. I needed him as my best friend and nothing more.

I glanced up at Fang, seeing that the stoic expression was gone and was now replaced with a thoughtful one. His lips were gently curved up as we walked over to the car. I felt his tight grip around me loosen as he let go of me, getting ready to put his bag in the trunk. I went over to the passenger side and got in, waiting for Fang to come turn on the heat.

I looked out the windshield and saw small flecks of white falling. I almost did a double take, grinning cheekily at what I saw. I opened the door again and stood up; looking over at Fang and holding my hand out, letting the cold substance hit my bare fingers. Fang smiled over at me and got into the car.

"It's snowing." I whispered to myself, watching the flakes fall down from the dark night sky.

* * *

So, love it? Hate it? Have any suggestions? Let me know!


	3. Chapter 3

Hey, here's another installment (I still don't want to call them chapters)

I just want to thank you guys for the reviews. I really appreciate them but please don't just tell me if you like or dislike the story. Tell me what about the story you like or dislike so I can work on making the parts you don't like better or adding more of what you like in.

It's all for your enjoyment and my amusement,

Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

I rolled out of bed the next morning, immediately jumping into a great mood. I stepped out of bed, feeling the cold air in my room hit my legs and I shivered, looking over at the window. I walked over to it and looked out it, smiling as I saw at least five inches of snow covering the ground in thick blankets.

A snow plow ran through the street, knocking the piles of snow onto either side of the road. Kids were in their yards, making snowmen and sledding down any hill they could find. They were all bundled up in big, puffy jackets, their hands and heads covered in hats and mittens. They rolled in the snow, making snow angels and having snowball fights, basically having fun in the snow on, what I was assuming to be, our first snow day of the year.

I realized that my window was slightly open and that was why I was so cold. I smiled to myself, closing it completely and locking it at the top, just to make sure it wouldn't open again anytime soon. I took one last look at the snow covered trees and the flakes falling from the blue-gray sky before I turned back into my room. I grabbed a pair of sweat pants out of my closet and pulled them on over my shorts, not really caring how bad I looked, after all, I was going to stay home all day anyway.

I shoved my feet into my light blue fuzzy slippers and exited my room, humming the tune to 'Let It Snow' softly in my head. It was finally time for the cold weather to really hit. I walked down the stairs, wondering what I was going to do today after I ate. There were so many possibilities on days such as these.

I entered the kitchen, rubbing my eyes of all the sleep I had left in me. I closed them tightly and reopened them, seeing four people sitting at the breakfast table. I looked closer and recognized them immediately.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked, mainly directing the question to the two teenagers with their backs to me. They both turned around and I saw a very tired looking Fang sitting next to an energetic Nudge.

"Mom had to go to work today and we thought it'd be cool to come over here." Fang said, patting the chair next to him as I walked over. I sat down and he handed me the plate of cookies sitting on the table. I gladly took one and took a small bite out of it.

"Is your dad still on that business trip to Michigan?" I asked, looking over at him. Nudge had launched herself in another conversation and wasn't listening to us at all while my mom looked like a zombie as she drank her- very large- cup of coffee. She had definitely been up all night.

"Yeah, he isn't going to get back for another week and a half," Fang said, taking a sip of the hot chocolate he had in front of him. As he pulled the cup away from him, there was whipped cream left on his upper lip and nose. I smiled over at him and he furrowed his eyebrows, trying to lick it off with his tongue. He got the whipped cream off of his lip but not his nose. I reached over and swiped it off, licking it off of my fingers, smiling. We just kept talking as if nothing happened.

"That really sucks," I said, shaking my head in disapproval.

"Not that much, actually," he said, looking over at me. I gave him a confused look and he clarified, "Don't get me wrong, I love my dad and everything but you know how much of a drill sergeant he is. Sometimes I just need a break. Nudge does too. After all, he only goes away on business once or twice a year so it's not that bad." I nodded, realizing that what he said was true.

"Good point," I muttered, taking another bite out of my cookie. "When did you two get here?" I asked, looking from him to Nudge curiously.

"About an hour ago," Fang started, getting ready to say something else before Nudge jumped in.

"Yeah, it started snowing before we came though. We walked over since our parents weren't home and we figured that coming over here would be loads more fun than staying at our house all alone but technically we wouldn't be alone because we have each other and if you have another person then you're not actually alone because you have company. I guess you can actually be alone even if you're around other people though I mean, you can feel all lonely inside but you'll be surrounded by people..." She trailed off, her eyebrows creasing in thought, "What was I talking about again? Oh yeah, so me and Fang came over here and saw Ella and we went to see if you were awake but you weren't and me and Ella wanted to wake you up but Fang said to let you sleep so we did. Then we came downstairs and played games until breakfast and we made Fang play Twister and, well, I think that's it." She said, bringing her speech to a close. She took a deep breath and I saw that she was turning slightly blue. She took a sip of her hot chocolate and acted like it was nothing.

"That's interesting," I said, thinking about her speech and what she had said, "I can't believe I missed seeing Fang play Twister!" I exclaimed, smiling over at him. He smirked and shook his head, obviously not wanting to think back to what happened.

"Don't worry, I didn't win." He said, glaring over at Ella. "She tickled me." I almost burst out laughing then and there. Now, _that_ was a sentence I never thought I'd ever hear Fang say. I didn't even know he was ticklish. An evil grin spread across my face as Ella gestured to her rib cages and pointing at Fang enthusiastically. I put my mug down casually and waited a second before wildly tackling Fang out of his chair. I started tickling him by his ribs and he started laughing, trying to get me off of him. He was finally able to get me off of him but Ella and Nudge joined in, holding down his arms and legs as I tickled him. It was really a group effort.

"Hey!" My mom yelled after whistling loudly to get our attention. We all stopped what we were doing to look at a very mad looking mom staring down at us. She looked over what we were doing; Nudge sitting on his feet, Ella holding his arms down to the tile floor, and me straddling his stomach, hands resting on him. She shook her head and smiled, "Just don't break anything." She said before leaving the room. I looked over at Ella and Nudge mischievously and they returned the look before we continued to attack Fang for another five minutes.

"I don't think I have ever laughed that hard." Fang said, sitting against the cabinets with me as we finished our cups of hot chocolate before going outside with Ella and Nudge.

"I don't think I've ever seen you laugh that hard," I added, looking over at him out of the corner of my eye. He was sitting, facing towards me, and eating a cookie the size of his hand. His t-shirt was wrinkled from the wonderful job I had done of tickling him. His jet black hair was thrown around his head messily, making it fall over his eyes in unusual directions. He looked up at me and smiled, putting his cup next to mine on the table next to us. He got up slowly and held his hand out for me. I gave a small smile and took it, letting him pull me to my feet.

"Want to go outside now?" he asked, leading me to the door. Apparently I didn't have a choice. He let go of my hand just long enough for us to get out jackets and boots on but as soon as we stepped out of the doorframe, his hand was wrapped tightly around mine.

I stepped into the snow, smiling. I looked at myself quickly. I was still wearing my pajamas but I really didn't care. They were just a t-shirt and sweatpants anyway. "What do you want to do first?" I asked, smiling.

"Snowman," He said, grinning. Ever since we were little, on the first real snow of the year, we would build a huge snowman and take pictures with it. I honestly had at least two hundred pictures in my room with the snowman and all of our friends. It was a tradition that wouldn't be broken. Not today, anyway.

I smiled and walked with him over to a small area in between our houses that was reserved for our snowman every single year. We both began to roll the snow for the bottom of the snowman.

"So," Fang said, moving the completed bottom layer over to the correct place. "Are you going to go to the dance on tomorrow?" He asked, looking over at me and wiping the snow off of his hands. I was surprised they weren't freezing.

"I'm babysitting," I said, frowning.

"Oh, well, are you going to the next one? I think it's the Christmas dance." He said, walking over to where I was making the second layer. He helped pack the snow onto what I had started.

"I think I promised Sam that I would be going with him." I said, furrowing my eyebrows, trying to understand why I did that. I guessed it was because I always declined him and I felt bad. He was a good guy anyway. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"Oh," Fang said, pretty much ending the conversation then and there. We both pulled our strength together to roll the second layer onto the snowman and we stood back, making the smallest one. We gently placed it on top of the snowman and admired our work.

"Now we need the scarf and everything," Fang said, grabbing my hand and leading me into the house. We went over to the coat closet and Fang grabbed a box from the top shelf. We opened it and took out all the pieces. We had coal for the eyes and mouth, a button for the nose, a top hat, and a scarf. We went back outside and gently placed each one on, pressing sticks into the second layer for arms.

I stood back, smiling. "I think this is our best work yet," I said, taking in the sight of our giant snowman. It was probably the size of me, height wise at least.

I glanced around, not getting a response from Fang. I turned around to look for him, only be come face to face with two hands and a giant chuck of snow being shoved in my face. I closed my eyes because of the cold and frowned, bending down to get my own chunk of snow. I threw it over at Fang, who was running away from me, and it hit him right in the back of my head. Ella and Nudge looked over from where they were lying in the snow, making snow angels and stood up, grabbing their own snowballs.

We basically had one big snowball fight consisting of me, Fang, Ella, Nudge, and pretty much every other kid on the street at the time. It was a monster fight. We had subconsciously split up into teams of two. I, naturally, teamed up with Fang. We made mountains of snow balls and threw each one, not missing one person. Eventually, we retreated to the tree house Fang had in his back yard. We couldn't stop laughing as we climbed up the frozen ladder and into the huge house.

"Well, that was fun." I said, smiling over at him as he sat next to me. "How long do you think it'll take for them to find us?" I asked, wondering it myself.

"Maybe about ten, fifteen minutes." He said, looking out of one of the square windows that faced the street. "I can't believe all of those kids joined in on the fight!" he exclaimed, chuckling. He had really been enjoying all of it. There were a bunch of people from our high school that we knew that came over to take part in the fight and he really had some rivalries going on with them.

"I blame you," I said pointedly, referring to him dumping the giant chunk of snow on me in the first place. He smiled and wrapped his arm around me, hugging me into his chest. I smiled from the warmth.

"It is really cold!" He announced, shivering. I nodded and sighed, "I say we go inside and I'll make us a hot, chocolaty, beverage!" he suggested and I almost jumped at the chance to get out of the cold. We both climbed back down the ladder, trying to avoid the snowballs coming towards us as we sprinted to his house. We flung open the back slider door and closed it, locking it tightly. We laughed as we shed our wet winter coats and boots and walked into the kitchen.

"So are you going to the dance?" I asked Fang, looking over at him from the breakfast bar where I was sitting. He turned around and looked at me, frowning.

"I don't know." He said, turning back around to turn the stove on, "I mean, I don't think I am. I know Nudge is though." He added, matter o factly. Of course Nudge was going.

"Did anyone ask her?" I asked, wondering if she was actually going with someone, "or, is she just going with friends."

"She told me she was going with friends and that she was waiting for one person to ask her out," he said, shaking his head and turning back to me, "She wouldn't tell me who it was though."

"Good thinking on her part," I murmured. Fang gave me a confused glance as he walked over and sat across from me, "I mean, come on! You don't tell your brother who you like. You, being the over-protective older brother, would kill that boy!" I said as he chuckled lightly.

"I wouldn't _kill_ him, per say." He said, looking at the ceiling thoughtfully. "I would just strategically wound him so he wouldn't be able to touch my sister." He said, grinning at me. I shook my head and rolled my eyes. Only he would think of someone as stupid, but as true as that.

"Of course you would," I said skeptically, leaning over the table to look him in the eye. "You'll have to let her go eventually, you know." I whispered, looking over at him.

"I know, I know," He said, leaning against the table. "I just don't want to." He added as an afterthought. I smiled and rested my chin on my hand, looking at him thoughtfully. He just stared down at me.

"Max? Fang? Are you two here?" Ella called out as the front door slammed shut. I turned around and saw her walking through the main hallway and into the kitchen with Nudge.

"See? I told you they'd be here!" Nudge said, glaring at Ella, "We went to your house and you weren't there and we asked your mom where you were and she didn't know so I said that you two would probably be here but Ella over here didn't believe me so I had to show her and I did because you two are actually here!" She said all in one breath. I blinked twice, trying to figure out what she said.

"Oh, okay," Fang said, turning back to the stove. Ella and Nudge looked at each other and giggled, I didn't know why, but they did. Fang groaned and shook his head. I would have to interrogate him later. I turned back around and saw Fang pouring the steaming hot water into four mugs, seeing as Nudge and Ella were now here.

"Hey! Do you guys want to play a game?" Ella asked, looking at all of us.

I glanced over at Fang, not sure whether to trust Ella with picking out a game for us to play. He looked up at me and nodded, rolling his eyes. I figured I'd humor her. "Sure, but what game?" I asked, curiously.

Ella and Nudge looked at each other and screamed, "CANDY LAND!" simultaneously. They both jumped up and sprinted to Nudge's room to go get the game. I shook my head and laughed.

"I haven't played candy land in years," I said, smiling over at Fang. "The last time I played I convinced Ella that if you landed at the Licorice Castle then you win just because I didn't want her to win _again._" I said, remembering what had happened.

"Really?" Fang asked, smirking. "I always won at that game. Nudge won maybe once or twice."

"Well, then it looks like Ella is going to have some competition." I said smiling Fang handed me a large mug filled with hot chocolate and marshmallows. "I really think we're overdosing on the hot chocolate today." I said as I took a sip of it. I could feel the hot liquid running down my throat and it warmed me up right away.

"We really are," Fang agreed, taking his mug and walking over to sit next to me. "But it is the best thing to have after a giant snowball fight." He added, elbowing me slightly.

"And it's the best while playing Candy land." I said, smiling. We sat there for another couple of minutes as Ella and Nudge tore apart her closet until they found the game. They came back down five minutes later, grinning cheekily.

"Found it!" Ella exclaimed, putting it on the table. She grabbed her mug right away and almost chugged the whole thing. Nudge drank hers sparingly and ate the marshmallows first.

We played for hours although it only seemed like minutes. I hadn't won once but Fang and Ella were really getting competitive over it. Nudge and I just rolled our eyes and laughed every time one of them received bragging rights because they won_ again_.

We all sat there, waiting for Ella to pick her card on our seventh game. Instead of having one stack of cards, we spread them all out across the table like you would when you play Go Fish. This way, we're not always stuck with one card to choose. We actually have a decision that could potentially cost us the game. It's more thrilling that way.

I looked outside, seeing that the sun had already gone down. Ella and I had called our mom telling her we were going to hang out with Fang and Nudge for the rest of the day considering we thought it was still too cold to go back outside.

I smiled to myself, watching the snowflakes fall down on the bare trees outside. It looked beautiful. I shuddered as a cool breeze flew past us and I immediately got goose bumps. My teeth started chattering as I hugged my arms together, trying to stay warm. Fang reached over and gave me a quick hug before abruptly getting out of his chair and going up the stairs.

"Hey, kids!" A voice shouted out and I turned around, seeing Fang and Nudge's mom walking in, closing the front door. That would explain the cool breeze. "Oh, Max, Ella, I didn't know you were going to be here. I hope my kids were being nice." She said, looking over at Nudge who shied away from her glare. The last time we came over, which was the week before, Nudge and Fang thought it would be 'hilarious' if they kidnapped us and didn't give us back all day. It was not pleasant.

"Its fine, Mrs. Keyes," Ella said, smiling angelically, "They came over this morning and we went outside and had a huge snowball fight so we just came here and started playing games." She explained, gesturing over at the four empty mugs and the board game on the table.

"There was no kidnapping of any sort." I said, grinning at her.

"Good. I don't want the neighbors to call the police again." She mused, placing her bag on the ground. "I'm going to be upstairs if you need anything." She said, taking her jacket off and walking to the stairs, passing Fang on her way. She gave him a quick kiss and hopped up each stair.

"Where'd you go?" I asked him, wondering why he had left so suddenly.

"You were cold." He said, putting a jacket over my shoulders. I smiled and shoved my arms through the sleeves, feeling the soft material. "So, I got you a sweatshirt."

"You know, I could have used my own jacket." I said, pointing over at the stack of snow-covered jackets and boots in the corner of the kitchen.

"You could have," he said reasonably. "But, it's soaking wet and that really wouldn't help the whole 'make Max warmer' thing we have going on here with my sweatshirt." He added, sticking his tongue out at me. I smiled and pulled the sleeves back so I could actually see my hands through them. It was scary that Fang was almost six inches taller than me. Next to him, I felt like such a shrimp.

I wrapped the middle of the jacket around me, seeing that it was absolutely _huge _on me. That just proves how much bigger Fang was. I looked down at the black and grey striped material and smiled; this was his favorite sweatshirt and I would wear it with pride. Fang chuckled from next to me. Sometimes I think that boy can just read my mind.

"Found it!" Ella shouted out, holding up a card. She turned it over and looked at it. "Awe! I have to go to Licorice Castle!" She said, groaning.

"Nice, Ella," Nudge said, grinning, "Take all that time away just so you can go _backwards _on the board." I smiled and looked between them. Ella glared over at Nudge while she just smiled absentmindedly.

"Your turn." Fang said, pointing over at the mess of cards. I reached out and grabbed the first card I touched. I looked at it and grinned, slamming it on the table. I moved my green playing piece three more spaces and over to the finishing place.

"How did she win!?" Ella asked, remembering all of the times I've lost horribly. I shrugged.

"Because she is just that amazing!" Nudge exclaimed, slapping me a high five. I smiled and started putting all of the cards together as everyone else helped clean up the game.

"I agree." Fang said, smiling at me. I blushed slightly and gave him a small grin. I had to admit, this was the perfect end to the perfect day.

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So, love it? Hate it? Have any suggestions? Let me know!


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, I'm back again.

Sorry about that little wait. It took me forever to write this chapter because I got a cortisone shot in my shoulder, and it makes it HELL to sit still (a.k.a sit at my computer typing.) but I was able to sit long enough to get this out for you.

I might not get another chapter out for about a week or two due to an out of state vacation.

Oh, and just a small heads up, I'm sorry for any grammatical errors. I never actually re-read this before posted it

Anyways, onto the story! (This is where the real fun begins… and try not to hate me at the end, okay?)

* * *

I dragged my feet through the thick blanket of snow covering the ground in between mine and Fang's house. I passed our snowman on the way and I smiled. Oh, how I love snow days. Really, they are probably the best way to procrastinate anything and everything.

I smiled and thought about the previous day, wondering what exactly was going to happen today but I didn't mind. It was Friday, the weekend was coming, and I didn't have a care in the world.

I stomped into Fang's driveway and tried to get all of the snow off of my old converse sneakers. I sighed and store over to the bright white door, rubbing my hands together briskly. I didn't even bother knocking. I just twisted the doorknob and entered, still trying to get the snow off of me.

"Max?" a voice called out from the kitchen. I recognized it as Fang's "Is that you?" He said, craning his head around the corner and smiling when he saw me.

"The one and the only." I said, grinning at him as I walked over to him. "You ready to go?" I asked, not wanting to go to school at all but, sadly, I had to.

"Yeah, just give me a minute". He answered, walking towards to stairs. I waited but not patiently. I glanced over at the hallway and I smiled.

Pictures lined the walls and they were intricately encased in black and brown frames. The pictures held the smiling faces of Fang, Nudge, their parents and even some of Ella and me. I guessed being best friends' means having your picture hung up and framed in a house other than your own. I reached the very end of them and smiled to myself, seeing my all time favorite.

In it were me, Fang, Ella, Nudge, and Iggy. I was on Fang's back while Ella was on Iggy's. We both had our hands held out making James Bond finger guns and we were smiling mischievously. Nudge was standing on her hands in front of Iggy and he was in the process of lifting her off of the ground. It's amazing how that boy can multitask.

"I still love that picture," Fang said from behind me and I jumped, my hand moving to my chest as an involuntary reaction. "I look at it every time I pass." he added, realizing I was staring at it for about five minutes.

"Geez, you scared me!" I exclaimed, playfully hitting his arm. I noticed that he came back downstairs with his black jacket hanging off of his broad shoulders and his back pack slung over his shoulder.

"And, it's my favorite too," I added in as an afterthought.

"I remember that day. It was fun." I smiled, remembering it too. We had decided go to the fair. Iggy had gotten sick from the twelve cotton candies he had and Nudge just got more and more hyper. She ended up running home to burn off all of the extra energy.

"Yeah," I said, reminiscing in my mind. "That was, what, during our freshman year?" I asked turning around to look at him.

"Yeah, back when we didn't care about anything. We did whatever we wanted." he said, taking my hand.

"Truthfully, I really don't miss it." I said, starting to walk out the door with him. He looked over at me, an expression that said 'and why is that?' daring me to continue. "Things are better now rather than before, if you ask me. We have more freedom than we used to so now we can do so much more."

"As true as that is," he said, looking at me cautiously as we carefully slipped out of the house, "It was a lot of fun. Other than the wonderful over protective parents, we got away with a ton of stuff."

"Yeah, I guess." I said, getting into the passenger side of his car. He jumped in next to me, rubbing his bare hands together to try and warm them up. His shoulders were tight as he began to start the car. I took a deep breath, seeing my breath mix with the cold air and making it visible. I blew, making a stream of 'fog' and grinned. I looked over at Fang to see him laughing over at me.

"What?" I asked, looking at him defensively. He shook his head, laughing.

"Nothing, oh, nothing," He answered, bringing his attention back to backing out of the driveway. I rolled my eyes at him and looked away, watching the garage doors close behind us.

I glanced over at Fang, seeing a far-away expression on his face as he drove us down the road. The snow hadn't melted yet but I could see the remains of the salt people had put on their driveways and the sidewalks in hope that no ice would form.

"Where's Nudge?" I asked, looking over at him, hoping I didn't have to snap him out of thought myself. I realized that she wasn't in the car this morning and I hadn't seen her downstairs when I went in. Usually she came with us in the morning but caught a ride with a friend in the afternoon considering that, because of Fang and I, she was friends with a lot of upperclassmen.

"She's sick," Fang said, looking over at me after being slightly shocked. "I guess it was from too much rolling around in the snow yesterday. She woke up with a fever and my mom is taking her to the doctor once they open."

"Oh," I said, frowning. I never liked it when any of my friends were sick but it really made me wonder why Ella wasn't sick because they had been doing the same things the entire time they were outside. "I knew that." I said, absentmindedly.

"Yeah, you always say that," he joked, elbowing me as we stopped at a red light. I looked ahead and frowned, glad that I didn't have to walk to school considering it was still snowing out. The light turned green and Fang stepped on the gas.

"Hey, is that Iggy?" I asked, seeing someone turn a corner as they trudged through the snow.

"That's his street," He said, "And he usually walks to school," He added as an afterthought. Iggy lived about twenty minutes from us but only a five minute walk from school so he never wasted the gas money on a two-minute car ride. Fang pulled over next to the person and I saw that it actually was the Iggster.

I rolled down the window and called out, "Need a ride, stranger?" He looked over and grinned, walking over instantly.

"Yeah, ma'am, it's freezing out here." I laughed and pressed the button to unlock the door. He jumped in and rubbed his glove-clad hands together. "Man, it is so cold out there!" He exclaimed, sitting in the middle of the back seat.

"Yeah," Fang said, glancing at him in the rear view mirror. "If only they made these magical mechanical things that you get in and can possibly drive you there! And maybe they could have mysterious warming things inside of them!" He said with feign enthusiasm but let the sarcasm show through.

"That is brilliant!" I said, playing along. "You should patent that idea! You'll make millions. Maybe you can call it a _car._" I added, looking at Iggy. Fang mumbled his concurrence and Iggy groaned.

"Yeah, yeah pick on the guy whose saving money." He grumbled, glaring at both of us. "You two aren't getting Christmas presents this year!" he exclaimed. Fang and I looked at each other and gasped in fake horror.

"Why? Have we been bad children?" I asked, looking back at him with innocent puppy eyes. "Is Santa going to bring us coal and put it in our stockings?" I said sarcastically.

"I can make it happen." Iggy said mischievously, looking at us though narrow eyes.

"Oh yeah? How?" Fang asked doubtingly from next to me.

"Me and Santa are tight, yo!" Iggy said, using a bad gangster drawl. He crossed his middle and pointer fingers and held them in front of Fang and my faces for emphasis.

"Of course you are." Fang mumbled, rolling his eyes as he pulled into the school parking lot. I shook my head, wondering why I had such weird friends. Then I realized it was because they were just plain awesome!

"Ready for school?" Fang asked, looking between Iggy and me as we all hopped out of the warmth of the car into the freezing cold. I wrapped my jacket around me, feeling the soft material on my arms. I actually had Fang's sweatshirt on underneath my winter coat. It was too warm _not _to wear.

"Can't wait," I muttered sarcastically as Iggy shook his head violently. No one really wanted to go to school the day after a snow day, not even the teachers. Coming to school today meant that Iggy and I actually had to participate in forensics (which was something that we really didn't want to do).

We walked into the school together, not really talking about anything in particular. We all went our separate ways and to our lockers just in time to make first hour.

Class sped by but for some reason, it wasn't going fast enough. I slept my way through history seeing as we were watching an (extremely boring) movie about the renaissance. In math we learned about the typical thing; 2 + 2 = 4. Okay, it was more complicated than that but, come on! Spanish was a wonderful hour filled with tacos and churros (obviously my favorite hour so far). Then, there's lunch. The wonderful forty-five minutes in between classes that let you go crazy with your friends or, in our case, start a daily food fight in the cafeteria. Yes, you heard me right; _daily_ food fights.

After lunch were my two favorite classes along with one not-so-favorite which happened to be gym. I liked the whole 'physical activity' aspect to it but when you do kick ball every day for two months, it just gets boring but then, the excitement gets to me when I'm in forensics.

"So I see you two didn't just decide to skip out on this class today," Mr. Patterson said, looking at Iggy and me as we stepped through the doorframe lazily. "Glad you could join us." He added.

"We would never skip!" I said, pretending to be offended. He grimaced and just looked at us.

"Really, Mr. Patterson, I would never be able to skip your class!" Iggy said, grinning earnestly. "I would just miss you too much!" He added, winking at him before turning and going to sit in our usual spots at the back of the room. I laughed and followed him, seeing that Fang had already beaten us there.

"Hey," I said, dropping my bag down next to the desk and plopping down. "Is it just me or has this day been just dragging along?" I asked, looking between the two of them.

Fang nodded, mumbling his 'Yeah, it has' while Iggy just fell forwards and banged his forehead against the desk. For a second I thought he passed out but when he raised his head a couple inches off of the desk saying "Ow! I should not have done that!" I realized he was fine. Well, as fine as Iggy could get.

"Hey Fang-y!" Lissa called out from the front of the room, running through the desks to where we were sitting. "Fang-y, that was an amazing game the other night!" She exclaimed, moving over to him and sitting on his lap. He gently pushed her off but it didn't faze her at all.

I used to have a really big problem with Lissa. I had thought that she was the most annoying person alive but then I actually had a real conversation with her and I realized that she wasn't really that bad. She was ditzy, yes, but she was actually a decent person. Though I still had to cover my ears when she screeched, she was much smarter than originally perceived.

"Uh, thanks." He said, smiling softly. She blinked twice, staring at him in astonishment. I guess she's never seen him smile. She walked away, grinning as if she had one the million dollar jackpot.

"Wow," I said, once we had all looked back at each other. "Fang, it looks like she's in love with you!" I teased.

"Yeah, when's the wedding?" Iggy asked, smiling.

"Oh, you're just jealous," Fang said, smirking at Iggy.

"No I'm not! I have Maxie over here!" He said, pulling me into a headlock. I groaned as he messed up my hair. "She loves me!"

"Sure I do." I said sarcastically, wanting to get off the subject. I didn't know why, but I just never liked the whole 'sharing of feelings' thing that most girls love. It was one of the many things that made me different.

"Okay, class!" Mr. Patterson called out from the podium in the front of the room. "Let's get started on today's class! Instead of finishing the debate, we're going to watch a short movie that explains some of the arguments that you have to go through in order to accuse someone. We'll pick up on the argument in class on Monday!" the class cheered as he shut the lights off and turned on the Smart Board, putting in a DVD.

We sat of about ten minutes before the loudspeaker in the room came on, saying 'Fang Keyes, please report to the guidance office. Fang Keyes, to the guidance office.' He sighed and got up, leaving his bag where it was.

He rolled his eyes and walked out after getting a pass from Mr. Patterson. I leaned on my hands, slowly falling asleep because of how boring the movie was. Iggy kept throwing things at me every time I actually did fall asleep. Those things including a wad of paper, a pencil, his watch, a folder, his calculus textbook, and a banana (don't ask me how he acquired a banana in the middle of class). Eventually I just resorted to trying to stay awake.

I was staring at the screen when a stream of light flooded it. I glanced over at the door and saw Fang walking in, no expression on his face. I saw up right away, sensing something was wrong. He came over to us and, without a word, grabbed his backpack and notebook. He went back up to the front and gave Mr. Patterson a slip of paper. He read it slowly, a grave expression masking his face. He gently put his hand on Fang's shoulder and said something softly to him. I immediately grabbed my bag and picked up my book, following Fang as he left the room. I glanced over at Mr. Patterson who nodded to me and watched me leave.

"Fang!" I called out, jogging down the hallway after him. "Fang?" I asked once I had caught up to him. I put my hand on his shoulder and he turned around and I realized how he actually looked.

His hair was lifted up off of his forehead and it looked as though he had run his hands though it many times. His eyes had small bags under them and his cheeks tearstained. I put my hand gently on his cheek, searching his eyes for any answered but regrettably seeing nothing. He put his hand over mine and looked at me, tears forming in his obsidian eyes.

"What happened?" I asked worriedly, "What's wrong?" My heart pounded as he took a deep breath. It took a lot to get Fang worked up like this and seeing as this wasn't actually that worked up, something big must've happened. He leaned in and pressed his forehead against mine. I felt his breath on my cheeks in short intervals.

"It's my mom," he said, his voice shaking. "And Nudge," He added, closing his eyes. "They're gone, Max. They're gone." A single tear fell from his closed eyes as he finished. I felt tears forming in my own eyes although I really didn't know the whole story.

"What?" I asked softly, becoming very confused as he spoke. "What happened?"

He opened his eyes and took a deep breath. It seemed to calm him down because he continued. "You know how my mom was going to take Nudge to the doctor?" He asked, his voice soft and horse. I nodded as he continued. "Well, some idiot ran a red light, slipped on a patch of black ice, and hit their car." Another tear fell from the corner of his eye. I put my free hand on his other cheek and wiped the drop away with my thumb, leaving a smudged trail. "My mom, she was gone at the scene but Nudge, she passed fifteen minutes later in the ambulance on the way to the hospital." He said, clenching his teeth. I felt tears fall down my own cheeks as I leaned up and hugged him, burying my face into his shirt.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled into his shirt, not looking up at him. I felt him nod into my hair and I let out a deep breath. I pulled away, looking up at him carefully. I really didn't want to say the wrong thing. "What are you going to do now?" I asked, he shook his head.

"I don't know." He said, looking down at me. "The guidance counselor didn't want me to be in class and since I can't sign myself out of school, I can't go home."

"You know what? Call my mom." I said, looking at him determinedly. "She'll come sign you out. She can take you home. Today is her day off anyway. She probably heard about what happened by now." I added, knowing this would be a better solution for Fang than staying in school.

"Come with me." He stated, his mouth forming a tight line. "I can't face it myself." He added, not whispering. I nodded slowly as he broke away from me. His hand slid from my back down my arm and to my hand. I gave him a reassuring nod and followed him to the office.

I explained the whole ordeal, not wanting Fang to have to talk about it. We both sat in the chairs that were I the hallway in between the office and the Principal's office. Luckily, they weren't visible from the hallways so we would have no problem with anything that happened that you normally wouldn't want your classmates to see. If anyone saw Fang cry, they would probably think it was the invasion of the body snatchers.

I sat there restlessly as we waited for my mom. I really didn't think Fang was okay to drive. He was still in shock. We could get his car in the morning.

Thoughts ran through my mind about Nudge and their mom but for some reason, every time I thought about them, more tears formed in my eyes. I blinked them back but I still felt them burning inside my eyes.

I looked over at Fang and my heart broke. He looked terrible. I reached over and took his cold hand in my own, giving him a small, reassuring smile. He looked down at me and moved over, putting his arm around me and resting his chin on my head. I laid my head on his shoulder and got lost in thought, not really caring about how much I cried or what anyone thought about it.

We just sat like that for what was, in reality, minutes but felt like a million years.

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Do you love it? Hate it? Have any suggestions? Let me know!


	5. Chapter 5

Okay, so this might be the start to some of the more depressing chapters. I'm not too good at writing sad stuff but I'll try my best for the stories' sake.

Again, please don't just tell me whether you like or dislike this story in reviews. Tell me what you like or dislike about it so I can work on making it better!

Anyways...

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The car ride back home from the school was spent in all solitude.

My mom had arrived about ten minutes before the period was over and she got us out of the school as soon as she could. We walked through the hail and over to her truck, her getting in the driver's seat. I opened the back door and climbed into the back seat, Fang following.

We sat with my head against his chest, his arm wrapped softly around my shoulders. Tears occasionally fell down my cheeks and dropped onto Fang's jacket, rolled off slowly. I saw that tears were filling his eyes as he let himself lose himself in thought but not one droplet fell down his angular cheeks.

We arrived at my house and, yet again, no one said anything. Fang and I walked inside, seeing that Ella was still in school. She probably didn't know about what happened yet. We dropped our bags on the couch and stripped off our heavy jackets- though I did leave on his sweatshirt. It seemed to comfort me as I wrapped the material around my waist and bunched up the over-sized sleeves in my fists.

"Fang?" my mom called out, stopping us before we went up the stairs. "Fang, I called your father. He can't get home from his business trip until tomorrow and I don't want you all alone in your house. I want you to stay here tonight." she offered, looking over at him worriedly.

"Thank you," he said shortly, shooting her a grateful glance as we turned and traveled up the stairs. I couldn't help but watch the little things going on with him.

His forehead was creased, a short line forming in between his eyebrows. His lips were pursed, his bottom one jutting out slightly as he thought. He played with the hem of his shirt nervously as he turned and entered my room. I didn't even need to tell him. He was part of the family already.

He walked over and lowered himself onto his bed silently, gazing at the floor in a distant world of his own. I followed, kicking off my dirty old sneakers and pushing them under my bed. I raised my legs up, crossing them. Fang turned to me and looked straight into my eyes but it felt as if he were burning through my soul. His eyes held longing, fear, pain, and resentment. Most of which, I could emotionally match.

I reached out, holding his hand. I pushed back the sleeve to his shirt and ran my thumb around his knuckles in smooth circles. He observed me carefully as I did so. I let him take both my hands into his own trembling ones. He held them closely and stared down at them, no expression on his face but a sea of emotions in his eyes.

Our eyes met and I watched as one single teardrop fell down his olive- toned cheekbone. It fell past the creases of his angular nose and over his lips, settling perfectly in between them. My heart plunged down in an icy wave and I pulled him to me, hugging him fiercely. He hesitantly put his hands on my back and pulled me closer to him. I buried my face in his shirt and frowned, thinking about things I shouldn't have been.

I thought it was hard. What with losing two people I loved very dearly and all. But what I felt couldn't match the pain and remembrance that Fang must have been feeling. After all, it was _his_ family.

Flashbacks I didn't need to see and voices I didn't need to hear filled my head unwillingly. I didn't need to feel anymore remorse about what had happened but I couldn't get a break.

As Fang held me tightly to himself, I thought about what he was missing. His mother- his beloved mother was gone. This time, it wasn't just for some weekend getaway; it wasn't for an extended business trip for work; it wasn't for a second anniversary. No, it was for good. She was gone for good. She was no longer there to comfort him when he felt sick or sad. He wouldn't be able to talk about things with her that might be harder for him to talk about with anyone else. He had to go it alone for now on.

And his sister. His adopted sister that he loved so dearly. Even though Nudge was not biologically part of the family, he accepted her right away. I still remembered the day that they had first met after she was adopted. They had spent about five minutes just looking at each other, sizing each other up as if they were about to fight. The hard, expressionless look on Fang's face had softened and Nudge had jumped into his arms, grinning wildly at her new brother. They had gotten along so well but now, now all he could do was mourn the death of his true best friend. **(A/N: Yes I know that Max is supposed to be his best friend blah blah blah... But I think that if you have a sibling, they're always going to be your best friend because they'll stay with you forever)**

"Come on," I whispered, getting up off of my bed slowly. I took Fang's hand and waited for him to stand up. "Let's get the guest room ready." I added just so he knew where I was bringing him.

He nodded, not saying anything. I took him out if my room and down the hallway to the guest room. His hand seemed to tighten around mine each time I inched away from him but each time his fingers constricted and his palm closed in next to mine, I continued to walk slower.

I took a step into the gold and burgundy room. I slipped my hand out of Fang's and it suddenly froze over. The warmth of his skin on mine was gone. I shivered, finally seeing how cold it really was without someone there.

I crossed the room to the large cabinet in which we keep extra sheets. I began to strip the bed, Fang taking each blanket or sheet as I took it off of the bed and moving it to the wash room.

I finished all in good time and followed Fang back into my room, where we always spent our time when he was at my house. I watched him carefully as he circled my room slowly, looking at everything thoroughly. He stared down at my old soccer trophies, the drawings we had made when we were littler in school, some pictures in frames hanging on the wall or on the top shelves of my dresser. He paused in front of one. His hand came up and lightly touched it, his fingers gently trailing down it.

I stood up and walked over to him. I stood on my toes, looking over his shoulder at the picture. It was of me when I was about seven. I had a four year old Nudge on my back, her smiling playfully as she pulled my pigtails. I was sticking my tongue out at her but she hadn't seemed to notice. She had a large grin on her face and a black spot where she had lost a front tooth. I rested my chin on Fang's shoulder and felt tears, yet again, well up in my eyes. I couldn't help but sigh, letting a deep breath out next to Fang's ear. He soundlessly placed it back where it was and turned, taking me into his arms yet again. I sighed as he buried his face into my hair. I felt his lips by my ear and a cool chill ran through me once more.

I shuddered in Fang's arms, feeling the icy chill flow through me. He pulled away from me, looking down through solemn eyes. I heard my mom calling me from the stairs but I didn't look away from Fang. I sighed and closed my eyes, grimacing to myself. I reluctantly broke away and made my way around the many obstacles lying around my messy room and out the door. I took my time going down the stairs.

I reached the bottom step and found my mother, her eyes wet with tears, mascara running ever so slightly so there were dark brown streaks falling down her tired face.

"Sweetie," she said, grabbing my hand with her own shaking ones. "You know that you have to babysit tonight, right?" she asked. In truth, I had totally forgotten about that. I simply nodded. "You don't have to go-"

"No, mom" I interrupted. "I have to. I promised that I would watch Angela and Isaac today. Their parents are going out for their anniversary. I can't just cancel the day of." I explained, looking into her grave eyes.

"So be it then." she said, looking at me carefully.

I turned slowly and made my way up the stairs. I walked back into my room and up to Fang.

"I forgot I had to babysit tonight." I muttered, walking up to stand directly in front of him. "I have to go in about fifteen minutes." I murmured once more. I looked up at him hesitantly.

"Great," He said, looking at me carefully. "I'll come too." He added a fake smile on his lips. It was the closest thing to emotion that I had seen on him since Forensics class. "You always tell me that Isaac is one hell of a kid so I'll come help you out. I don't really want to be alone right now, Max. I need to just be in your company; if you don't mind." He said. I was taken aback. I didn't think he would want to go babysitting with me, let alone talk more than the usual.

"Perfect," I said, returning his smile, whether it be fake or now, with one of my own. He put his arm gently around my waist and we left my room, traveling the long distance downstairs. We reached the landing to see my mother curled up on the couch with Ella. She probably had just gotten home and received the news.

Ella stood up, looking at Fang and me carefully. She ran over to me, throwing a hug around my waist because of the height difference. She buried her face into my shirt and I put my arms around her carefully. After a couple minutes of dead silence, she broke away from me and, with a sniffle, looked at Fang, who leaned down to her height and gathered her up in his arms. She held him tight to her and cried into his shoulder. I held back my own tears as she clutched the material of the back of Fang's shirt tightly in her grasp.

He gently pushed her away from him, looking at her tear stained face. He stood back up, not after planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

Ella was close to Fang in ways I'd never understand. When she was young and we'd all be watching scary movies, she'd be the one shaking, curled up in his lap as she watched from behind a pillow. He had always been able to comfort her but right now, it wasn't exactly Ella who needed to be comforted. It was Fang.

We both stepped back and grabbed our coats off on the chair where we had dropped them earlier that afternoon. We both pulled them on and stepped out of the front door, getting ready to walk down the street. We walked slowly, considering that we still had about five minutes before I had to be at the house and it was only a two minute walk.

I stayed close to Fang as we walked down the snow-covered street. I just walked carefully, not wanting to slip, fall, and end up hurting myself somehow. Fang kept me at his side as we continued walking. I turned up one driveway and made my way up it, stopping in front of the dark brown front door. I knocked twice and waited for it to open.

"Oh, Max!" Mrs. Marlinton said as she pulled open the door. She was in the middle of putting one of her long, pearl earrings in, "I wasn't sure that you'd be coming today!" she announced, hurrying Fang and I out of the cold.

"I couldn't cancel on you, Mrs. Marlinton," I said politely, stepping in so I could finally warm up.

"Oh, sweetie, how many times have I told you to call me Denise!" she exclaimed, looking down at me kindly. She had a nice face. Her eyes were always kind and her round face always had a smile plastered onto it.

"Oh, I'm sorry Mrs. - uh, Denise." I corrected myself quickly. "I really hope you don't mind but Fang came along with me."

"Oh, no sweetie," She replied, looking at Fang sincerely. "That's perfectly fine!" She added, smiling warmly. She could make the Wicked Witch of the West into and angel seeing as she was one of the nicest people I knew.

"Honey! Is Max here yet?" Mr. Marlinton called, walking into the room with two blonde children at his side. "Oh, I see that she is. Hello Max and who is this."

I glanced over at Fang, "This is-"

"Fang," he interrupted, looking over at Mr. Marlinton. He held out his had politely and smiled warmly. "I hope you don't mind me coming with Max tonight, Mr. Marlinton. Tonight, I'd rather not be alone." He said. I saw a flash of pain fall onto his face as he thought about what had happened. I put my hand on his shoulder and he glanced over at me.

"Oh, no son, that it perfectly fine and please, call me Dave!" he said, taking Fang's hand and shaking it shortly. Denise went over to her kids and brought them over to us as he continued to speak. "Please help yourself to anything in the fridge, the kid's bedtimes are at eight thirty, and please, _please_ don't let Isaac near anything explosive!" He added.

I smiled and nodded, looking over at the kids and Denise. "Now, Isaac, Angela, you two be good for Max and Fang!" She said caringly. They both nodded and said a simultaneous 'Yes mom!'

"Thank you, Max!" Denise called out as she grabbed her purse off of the hook on the wall and left the house. She walked down the stairs to the front door and smiled back at us.

"Anytime!" I said, watching her and Dave retreated back to their car. "Have a nice time!" I called as they waved to me as they backed out of the driveway. I closed the door behind me and smiled, looking over at the kids.

"Okay," I started, taking off my jacket. "What are we going to do first?" I asked, looking from the two of them.

"I want to play with my bear!" Angela exclaimed, looking up at me hopefully. "I got this new bear from my mommy! It's an angel! I named it Celeste!" she announced, holding up a small bear dressed in white and gold fabric. I smiled at her and turned to Isaac.

"What about you?" I asked, looking over at him. He stood in the middle of the room with a fish stick hanging out of his mouth. I guessed that was the remainder of dinner. "What do you want to do, Isaac?"

"My name isn't Isaac!" he exclaimed, looking at me disapprovingly. "I changed it!" He added happily. I shook my head and glanced over at Fang.

"Really?" Fang asked, looking at him. He had taken a liking to Fang already. Somehow, I could tell. Isaac looked up at Fang with admiration in his blue eyes. "That's weird, because I heard your mother calling you Isaac!" He said, smiling softly to himself.

"She doesn't know! My name is Captain Terror!" He said, smiling. "You know, Terror! Like T-E-R-O-R!" he spelled out, looking up at us one at a time. I chuckled at his lack of the extra 'R' and he beamed up at me.

"Sure you are." Fang said, looking over at him. "So, Captain Terror, what do you want to do?" He asked, bending down to his height.

"Movie marathon!" he shouted, running over to the television. He pulled three movies out of the shelves and smiled, holding them up. "Pirate of the Caribbean!" he announced, going over to the DVD player and putting them in. I smiled as Fang and he got everything set up for his movie marathon.

"I want popcorn!" Angela said, walking over to the couch with Celeste in her arms. She climbed up onto the couch with Isaac and hugged her bear to her. "Can you make popcorn?" she asked me, her big blue eyes shining brightly.

"Sure," I said, turning to walk into the kitchen, leaving them to watch the previews. I heard footsteps behind me and I took a deep breath. I opened the cabinet and pulled out three bags of popcorn. I tore the cellophane wrapping off of the bags and threw one in the microwave, turning to face Fang. "So, do you love the kids yet?" I asked, looking over at him as he walked towards me.

"They're sweet." He said, looking at me with expressionless eyes. "Especially that Captain Terror but what did his dad mean by not letting him play with anything explosive?"

The microwave beeped and I pulled it open. I threw another bag into it and poured the popped bag into a bowl. "The last babysitter he had quit because he got into the matches and made a smoke bomb that somehow burnt her eyebrows off." I said matter-o- factly as I took the second bag out of the microwave. We both stayed silent for a few minutes.

"You know, you really didn't have to come with me." I said, glancing up at him from where I was pouring the last bag into a bowl. "You could have stayed home with my mom and Ella." I pointed out.

"I know," he said, looking at me as he picked up two of the bowls and started walking into the living room. We weren't actually allowed to eat in there but I always bent the rules a little bit for them. "I needed to get away from the sadness I guess." He said his voice flat. "Younger kids never have a care in the world, so they always end up cheering you up in the end." He finished before we reached the couch. He gave each of the kids a bowl and sat down next to me. I started the movie and turned off the lights. I held the bowl of popcorn in between Fang and I as we both occasionally took handfuls as we watched the movie.

It didn't actually look like Fang was watching the movie though. He was staring at the screen but his eyes had that far off look in them. I knew what he was thinking about but I really didn't want to bring it up, especially in front of the kids. We ended up watching movies for about four hours considering that we had watched two out of the three movies Isaac had picked out. I glanced up at the clock and was surprised. It was already nine fifteen, which was already forty five minutes past their bedtime.

"Oh wow," I said, standing up. "Come on, up to bed!" I said, shuffling them up the stairs. They both went into their rooms and got ready for bed without a word; they were obviously tired. Fang and I cleaned up the popcorn and put the movies back, talking softly amongst ourselves.

I went up the stairs, ready to put the kids to bed and then go home so I could go to bed myself. I walked down to Isaac's room and walked in, seeing the usual camouflage walls and brown carpet. "Goodnight Captain Terror," I said, smiling as I pulled the covers up under his chin.

"I changed my mind." He said sleepily. "I want to be Isaac again…" he said, trailing off as he drifted to sleep. I smiled and wrapped the blanket around him a little more and turned off the lights. I left the room and went over to Angela's.

"Hey sweetie," I said, walking in and sitting in the chair next to her bed. She was already sitting in bed, her bear's head peaking out of the covers next to hers.

"Hey Max?" She asked as I went to turn off the lamp on the table besides her. I looked over at her, giving her all my attention. "Can you tell me a bedtime story?" She asked, her big blue eyes peering up at me.

"Sure," I said. I wracked my brain for a good one to tell but figured I'd make one up instead. I took a deep breath and hoped my imagination was good enough for a six year old "Once upon a time, there was a princess named Angela but everyone called her Angel because she was just so much of one. Princess Angel was different than all of the other villagers because she had a secret. Her secret was that she had gorgeous white wings on her back. With those wings, she was able to fly and she loved to every night.

"Princess Angel always went flying late at night so no one would see her but one night, one villager did. He followed her out of the town and into the forest. He surprised her when he showed up next to her under the trees. At first, she was scared. She thought that this boy would tell everyone about who she was and that she would be called a freak. Then, the princess became more and more relaxed with the boy. He had promised not to tell anyone about Princess Angel's wings.

"They met every single night in the forests outside of the village. Princess Angel would fly down and land in a clearing in the exact center of the forest and wait for the boy but one day, he didn't come. She got worried about him and wondered where he went. She didn't think that he would stand her up because they had grown to be best friends. She went home, thinking that he didn't care about her but each night; she would still go to the clearing just in case he decided to come once again.

"One day, a month later, when she arrived in the clearing, the boy was there, waiting for her. He looked at her and smiled, happy to see her. She didn't talk to him, assuming that he stood her up because he didn't like her but she was wrong. He explained to her that someone found out that he kept coming to see her and that he didn't want to get her in trouble for talking to a peasant; a village boy when she was royalty.

"The Princess then told him that she didn't care that he was just a village boy and that she would keep seeing him every night until the day she died. He did not believe her but each night, she would fly down and they would lie in the grass together, staring up at the stars above them. Soon, they fell in love and the boy called her to the clearing in the middle of the day. He got down on one knee and explained that he had nothing to offer her but his love and that he wanted her to be his wife. She accepted eagerly and they were married soon after. Then, they lived happily ever after."

I sighed, looking down at Angela's sleeping form and pulled the covers up over her. I kissed her on the forehead, muttering a 'goodnight' and turned off the lamp. I turned and stared walking over to the door but I saw the silhouette of someone standing there. I walked closer and realized it was Fang.

"How long were you standing there?" I asked quietly as I closed the door to her room. I turned to face him and waited for an answer.

"For awhile," he said, looking down at me softly. I saw an emotion in his eyes that I couldn't name but it made me feel warm. It made me feel safe. "Just long enough." He said a small smile on his lips. "How did you come up with that story?" he asked me quietly. I could feel his breath on my cheek but it didn't faze me.

"I don't know." I said, realizing that I had no idea where that idea had come from. "I guess it just came to me." I shrugged. "We should get downstairs." I said, turning away from him and walking down the stairs; he followed. We both sat on the couch in silence. We had kicked off our shoes and our sock clad feet were resting on the coffee table as we leaned back on the couch.

"I miss her," Fang whispered quietly, looking up at me. "I miss my mom, and Nudge. It's already so much different with them not around all the time. I can't believe it'll be like this all the time. Every single day." I moved over to him, putting my head on his hard chest.

"I know," I said, looking up at him. "They were just like family to me too. But I guess it's harder for you rather than me." I said mostly to myself. I felt my face suddenly become wet and I felt my eyes, feeling no tears. I sat up and looked at Fang, who had tears streaming down his face; his eyes closed and his head resting on the back of the couch.

I repositioned myself in order to sit in front of him and I offered a small smile, knowing he couldn't see me through closed eyes. I raised my hand up, gently raking my finger tips up his jawbone, then his cheek. I wiped away the tears on that fell slowly and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. His eyes fluttered open and he looked at me, frowning indefinitely. He sat up straight and sighed, more droplets falling from the corners of his eyes. I frowned and threw my arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. I felt him relax, and then shake with sobs as he hugged me back tightly. I felt his tears soak through my shirt and I sighed, whispering to his softly. He slowly pulled back from me, wiping his tear soaked eyes.

We sat together comfortably I sighed, "We'll get through it though. Everything will be okay." I muttered, seeing doubt in his eyes as I said it.

I knew what he was thinking and I knew he was right. We may get through it, but everything is never going to be okay.

* * *

So, does that live up to your standards? It was slightly longer than the other chapters…

Do you love it? Hate it? Have any suggestions? Let me know!


	6. Chapter 6

Hey everyone!

I'm sorry for the late-ness of this chapter (Is it even late? I don't even know!). I really don't have a plan for this chapter so I'm just going to wing it and see how it goes.

Anyways, onto the story!

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I woke up the morning after babysitting, finding myself leaning on Fang's hard chest as we slept. I slowly sat up in my bed and looked around, noticing that the sun was just rising. I sighed and stretched my arms out in front of me, feeling my elbows and shoulders crack at the joints. I rolled my shoulder back and sighed, looking back down.

Fang was lying on his back, his arm gently placed on the pillow where the bend of my neck had been. I felt my eyes travel across his rugged looks. His dark hair was splayed around his head, covering his eyes slightly. The muscles in his face were relaxed, showing a soft expression. His deep eyes were closed, his long eyelashes brushing the tops of his cheeks. I looked closer and saw small streaks down his face, showing me that he had been crying silently while I slept.

I put my hand gently on his cheek, looking at him intently. He wanted to be strong but he couldn't. He just couldn't. Somehow, I knew how he felt. I think it was because I was feeling the same way. He felt the need to be strong and stay that way for the rest of his life. He wanted to be there for his father even though (for all we knew) he wasn't here. He wanted to be the tough guy who isn't fazed by anything but that wasn't Fang. He wasn't that person. He was the caring, gentle guy who honestly would cry in front of his best friend but something changed that. That whole experience changed his personality; the way he was.

I removed my hand from his cheek and gently crawled out from under the blanket. Last night we had been so tired after staying at the Marlinton's house until two o'clock so instead of going to the expected rooms, we both just collapsed onto my queen sized bed. It wasn't the first time we had slept in the same bed before so it wasn't awkward but something about being that close to Fang worried me. Sometimes we got a little too close but most of the time I didn't mind. Most of the time I thought it was okay.

I stepped out of bed, feeling my bare feet stick to the cold wooden floor. I groaned and slid them into slippers, crossing the room and going over to my desk. I grabbed my phone out of the pocket of the jacket that was on the back of the chair and left the room, waiting until I was in the hallway to open it and let the light shine.

I flipped it open and glanced down. I hadn't used it for a couple of days so I had a bunch of texts and missed calls. I read who the message was from and I almost dropped the phone. Under the opening and closing letter on the front of the text it said, in big, bold letters, "Message from: Nudge Anderson-Keyes". I held back tears as the phone shook in my hand. As hard as I could and as much as I tried, I would never be as strong as I hoped I would be.

My whole body was trembling as I thought about Nudge. She couldn't be gone. Not now. It wasn't her time. I brought myself back down to reality and took a couple deep breaths, trying to stop my shaking breath. The air in my lungs turned frigid and my heart skipped faster. I tried to regain my composure but nothing was working. Eventually, I stopped fighting and just gave up.

I let the ice cold tears fall down my cheeks and stumbled backwards, leaning on the inside of the doorframe. I slid down it, my phone falling out of my violently shaking hands and landed with a crash on the floor. I faintly caught a glimpse of it breaking in two, although I didn't know what pieces were broken.

I pulled my knees to my chest and put my forehead in between them, sobbing quietly to myself. I sniffled and took a deep breath, tasting the salty tears that were falling mercilessly down my cheeks. I started to shake all over and let out a few large sobs, not really caring who might see me. Now, in this moment, was my time of weakness and I would use it to its fullest.

I felt a hand gently cup my shoulder and I looked up through bleary eyes. I squinted slightly, trying to see through both the darkness and the water filling my eyes. Two rough hands came down and envelop me into two wiry arms. I looked up once more and saw the jawbone of, none other than, Fang. I turned into him, crying silently into his old tee shirt. He kissed my hair and looked down at me worriedly. I just felt more tear droplets pour out of my eyes.

"Sh, it's okay," He whispered in my ear, rocking me back and forth. He was sitting on his knees next to me while my legs were lying straight in front of me but my body was turned towards him. "What's wrong?" He asked, "What happened?"

I glanced over at the two pieces of my phone and shuddered as an icy chill ran down my spine. He looked from me to it, it to me. I looked over at him, feeling as if he was holding me together when I should really be doing that for him. He looked at me and nodded silently, as if he knew exactly what happened with every detail. He just pulled me into his arms again, holding me tightly against him.

Soft footsteps sounded from down the hall and I frowned, glancing over at the hallway. Ella was walking down it in her tee shirt sweatpants and bunny slippers, rubbing her eyes groggily as she made her way to the bathroom. She walked past us at first but then backtracked, getting a second look at what was happening. It was probably different- what with seeing her older, seemingly invincible, sister on the floor crying in her only brotherly figure's arms.

Worry flashed across her face as she walked tentatively over to us. She looked at us carefully and slid down next to me. My head was still buried in Fang's shirt and I had the feeling that they were having a silent conversation over my head. I felt Ella's hands on my back, rubbing it lightly. I heard her sniffle and I looked up at her. I knew what she was crying about and I knew that is wasn't my fault that she was crying. I just knew that I didn't want her to. If she wasn't going to be strong for everyone then I had to but that plan wasn't going so well as you may have noticed.

I tried to sort through my emotions as I sat up and wiped away my tears. Nothing anyone said would ever make me feel so… so miserable. I took a silent deep breath and turned to Ella, seeing shining streaks going down her face through the darkness. I stood up and held out my hand, waiting for her to take it and when she did, I pulled her up slowly, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders.

She leaned up and hugged me. I could feel her shaking and her cold tears transferring onto my cheek. I held her strongly as Fang got up in the background. Ella eventually sighed and I pulled away from her, seeing that she was okay. I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and she walked back down the hallway to her room. I guess she had forgotten about the bathroom.

I watched her walk slowly down the hall but once she made it to her room; I turned back around and came face to face with Fang. I looked up at him carefully and found it was a mistake. In his eyes were so many conflicting emotions. Mixed in were pain, agony, longing, remembrance, and, of course, the ones that I could not name. The ones that appeared in his eyes so much but I could never figure out what they were.

It was then that I realized how close we were. If I took one step closer (and leveled out my neck) my head would be resting on his shoulder. I also realized how much taller than me he was. Two years ago, he was a skinny beanpole but now he was- wow. There were no words to describe him now. He was a head taller than me and so muscular it was unbelievable. His hair wasn't cut short anymore. He had let it grow out a little and let's just say that it looked amazing. And then there was his personality. He was nice, sweet, caring, and competitive when he wanted to be, funny, completely genuine, quiet, sometimes dark, and just so perfect. No wonder all of the girls in school were falling head over heels for him. I guess it just took me until now to really see who he was.

Fang's eyes were boring down at me and my heart picked up pace. If I wasn't awake before, I definitely was now. He leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on my cheek and I could feel it burning where his lips touched. He turned and walked back over to the bed and climbed in, ready to go back to sleep. I tried to smile but couldn't. It was impossible for me. I just picked up the two pieces of my phone (seeing that the battery had fallen out when I dropped it) and put it on my desk. I would worry about that later.

I went over to my bed and climbed in next to Fang. He opened his eyes and moved over; making more room for me but there was, honestly, more than enough room for the two of us. I positioned myself so my head was resting on his collar bone and our legs were barely touching underneath the blankets and sheets. He had his arm around me and was playing with a stand of my hair as we both stared up at the ceiling.

"What did you see?" Fang asked quietly, looking down at me as he continued to twirl my hair around his fingers. "On your phone, what did you see?"

I took a deep breath, preparing myself. "Nudge. She left me calls and because I didn't look at my phone for a couple of days, I just got the voicemails and texts." I answered, surprised that my voice was staying even though I did feel another tear fall down my cheek.

"What did they say?" He asked, looking down at me. I could feel his eyes on mine even though mine were fixed on my motionless ceiling fan.

"I don't know." I said, wanting to shrug but unable to. "I didn't read it. I don't think I'd be able to." I added, finally breaking my gaze.

"Oh," was all he managed to say. I knew that he was wondering who it was from just as much as I was. I looked up at him and saw a look of deep concentration on his face.

"Thank you," I whispered, looking away from him.

"For what?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"Just for- being there." I said, looking for the right words. "I really don't think I would have been able to get a hold over myself if you hadn't come over." I answered, looking back in his direction. He narrowed his eyes at me but looked content with my answer.

"I miss them so much." Fang said after a few moments of silence. "I still can't believe their gone."

"It'll be okay." I whispered, looking up at him, "Everything will work out. It'll all be okay." I added in for the extra benefit. I felt like I was telling myself more than I was tell him.

"I'm sure it will but," He started, a dark look spreading across his face. I looked up at him questionably and he sighed, "Never mind."

"Your dad is coming home today." I said, trying to change the subject to something a little less depressing. "He's coming home a week early. I'll be good to see him again, won't it?"

"I guess so, but I was kind of hoping I'd be able to stay here a bit longer," He answered, catching me totally off guard.

"Why?" I asked, looking up at him. I was as confused as anyone could ever get.

"I'm not sure," he answered truthfully. "Something about your family and your house makes me feel safe. I feel like nothing can get to me and that I'll be safe here." He said, looking down at me. "And then, there's you." He added. Now, I was completely surprised, astonished, confused, and basically every other conflicting emotions.

"What do you mean?" was all I was able to choke out. I glanced out the window and saw that it was already light out meaning that it had to be at least seven or eight in the morning.

"I mean that," Fang started, searching for the right words. I had no idea what he was going to say but I wanted to hear it so badly. "I mean that whenever I'm with you, I feel safe. It's not the kind of safe I would feel with my family or even if I was with the FBI. I just feel completely safe whenever you're around. No to mention that you and Iggy are my only to sources of happiness nowadays. I sound completely crazy don't I?"

"No, no you sound normal. Well, as normal as we can get," I said, looking over at him. I was still surprised at what he had said. I made him feel safe? What did that mean?

"I guess I shouldn't have said anything." He said, looking down at me. "I'm not really sure what I meant when I was thinking it." He added, frowning.

"It's okay." I said, curling my knees up. "I just don't get what you mean by 'I make you feel safe'. Is that good?" I asked quietly. We didn't need to wake Ella back up.

"Yeah!" He said quickly, his eyes widening a fraction. "What I meant was that whenever I'm with you, everything feels like it's going to be okay. You make me feel as if nothing could ever go wrong and that my life is just perfect… with you in it." He added the last part under his breath but somehow he knew that I had heard him.

I felt the smallest of smiles grace my lips and I looked up at him through the small amounts of light streaming in through my window. I leaned up and kissed him lightly on the cheek, he looked over at me confused.

"I think that might have been the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." I said, meaning what he had said under his breath. He knew what I meant and I was glad. I tried to slide back down to my position on his chest but his hand blocked me, holding me to my spot. I glanced back at it, seeing it holding my waist protectively but I tore my stare away and looked up at Fang, who had an unknown emotion in his eyes.

I felt myself moving closer to him as I stared into his obsidian, abysmal eyes. He slowly moved his position and freed his other hand, reaching over and taking mine. Soon enough, we were just inches apart. We were so close that I could feel his minty breath on my cheeks. I looked straight into his eyes and felt mine flutter closed as we continued to move in. His lips gently brushed mine and my whole body started to tingle all over. His hand tightened around mine as he gently kissed my bottom lip.

"Max? Fang?" someone called from down the hallway and my eyes immediately sprang open. I looked at Fang in shock and looked away without any delay. I felt Fang's hand slide off of my waist smoothly but he kept his other tightly wrapped around mine. We both turned to the doorway as my mom walked past.

"Oh, Fang, I didn't know you were staying in here last night," she said, turning on the light. It didn't do much seeing as the light shining through my window was bright enough to light up my whole room. "I just thought you should know that your dad is going to be here a little after breakfast." She said, giving us a small, unconvincing smile and leaving, closing the door on her way out. I looked over at Fang and frowned, embarrassed. He gave me a small kiss on the cheek and sat up, stretching out his shoulders and back. He got out of my bed and I followed his example. A cool breeze swept past my legs and I frowned, realizing it was stupid to wear shorts in the winter. I shrugged it off and walked with Fang out the door and down the stairs where we were met with the excellent smell of eggs and bacon.

"This smells great, mom."I said, looking over at where she was standing in front of the stove, reading the newspaper.

"I didn't make it, sweetie," She said, pointing at the other end of the kitchen without looking up from the newspaper. Fang and I walked farther into the kitchen and saw that Iggy was sitting at the table next to Ella. He looked up, saw Fang and me and smiled.

"I thought you guys would like my world famous breakfast treat." He said, standing up and walking over to us. He gave Fang one of those 'Man hugs' that weren't actually hugs but they still were classified as one. They said some things softly to each other. Then, Fang let go of my hand (which I didn't even realize he was holding) and walked over to the stove, getting himself some food. Iggy's cooking is probably the best thing you would ever witness. He could really start his own restaurant and we would come every day.

He came over to me and gave a small smile, "How are you doing, Maxie?" He asked, pulling me into a hug. Now, I didn't even mind him calling me Maxie. It was really something that only he could do and I wouldn't care. It was his little privilege.

"I'm good," I muttered into his shirt. "I could be better but, I think I'm holding up well. I think." I said, remembering that morning. I wasn't holding up well but that was something Iggy just didn't need to know. "How are you?" I asked him. If anything, Iggy would be upset over Nudge passing away. He always had a special relationship with her. I never really knew what went on with them but it always seemed that when he was with Nudge, he was speechless. It was really sweet if you thought about it.

"I'm doing fine. I guess." He said, looking down at me. "I cried a little but, who didn't?" He admitted, looking down at me. I nodded and grabbed a plate, scooping a mountain of eggs onto it. I went over and sat next to Ella, who looked up at me, concerned. I guess she didn't tell my mom or Iggy about my little breakdown.

"Are you okay now?" she asked, taking a bite from her bacon.

"I'm fine." I answered, looking over at her, offering a small smile to get as I took a bite of my eggs. She nodded, not fully convinced but dropped it anyway. We all sat in silence as we ate out food. I think that if any of us tried to talk, it would lead us to the subject of what happened the day before and if that came up, I _knew_ that all of us would cry just a little.

As soon as I finished my plate of eggs, the doorbell rang. I stood up right away and walked over to it, opening it immediately. There stood the spitting image of Fang, just in an older frame.

"Mr. Keyes." I said, standing aside as he walked in and put his briefcase down. He must have taken a taxi straight here and not stopped at his house first. I didn't blame him. If I were him, I would want to see Fang now more than ever. He gave me a quick hug and walked straight into the kitchen. He had been here a million times before so he didn't need to be told where to go.

I closed the door and followed him into the kitchen, seeing him hugging my mom tightly, tears sliding down both of their cheeks. They broke apart slowly and Mr. Keyes turned to look at his son, who was standing against the wall with an impassive expression on his face.

He walked over and brought Fang into his arms, saying "Thank God you're okay."

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That had some romance in there. I didn't want to add it in this soon but I couldn't help myself. So, it was shorter but I felt that if I kept writing, then it would have been worse, so, yeah...!

In the beginning of the chapter where Max saw the texts from Nudge, the reason the phone reads "Nudge _Anderson_-Keyes" is because Anderson is her real last name and Keyes is the last name she got when she was adopted into Fang's family. I just thought I'd clear that up in case any of you are wondering.

Do you love it? Hate it? Have any suggestions? Let me know!


	7. Chapter 7

Hey everybody!

This is just a filler chapter until the stories reach the end of the weekend. It'll pick up again in the next chapter. Sorry for any grammatical or spelling mistakes. I, again, didn't read it over once I wrote it. I really should start doing that…

Anyways, chapter seven! Enjoy!

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"I'm fine, dad," Fang said, hugging his father awkwardly as tears streamed down his young face. I felt my own eyes well up with tears as I thought about how he must be taking it. It might have been worse on Mr. Keyes than anyone else. After all, it was _his wife_ that passed away. Not to mention that his only daughter.

I fought back tears as Fang and his father broke away from each other. Iggy and Ella stood up quietly, Ella receiving a small hug from Mr. Keyes and Iggy shaking his hand stiffly. It looked like Iggy was about to break down and that was really not what we needed right now. There had been enough crying, enough pain, and definitely enough sorrow in this house for one day.

"Fang," his father said, looking down at his son through his small, horn-rimmed glasses. "We need to set up the funeral arrangements." He continued stoically. It looked as though he hadn't shown emotion in years although I knew for a fact that he had.

"John," my mom said, looking over at him, "Let the kids fend for themselves. I'll go with you." She said, giving Fang a sorrowful glance. He nodded at her gratefully. I assumed he didn't want to go set up for the funeral of his mother and sister the day after their death.

"So be it." Mr. Keyes said, looking around at the four kids in the room. "Behave yourselves." He added, nodding his head over to all of us. We all nodded silently and obliged. There was absolutely nothing that we could do that would make any trouble. Even Iggy wasn't in the mood for pranks.

My mom pulled on her jacket and grabbed her purse, making sure that she had everything she needed in it. She then nodded to Mr. Keyes and they left through the front door without another word. We all sat back down around the kitchen table, occasionally picking at some of the leftover food sitting there.

"Fang," Iggy said, finally breaking the silence. "Your dad scares me." He said simply, causing all of us to chuckle a little bit. Although it was a goofy thing to say, Iggy was being completely serious.

Fang's dad used to be in the Marines. He was high up rank-wise but once he got married, he found a way to drop out of the Marines and settled down with Fang's mom. Instead of just having a normal life like everyone else, Mr. Keyes brought some of the aspects of the army into their everyday lives. He was strict but it wasn't necessarily a very bad thing. Most of the time it was just little things like having to call him Mr. Keyes instead of John (all of Nudge and Fang's friends called their mom Mary). It was the way he was and none of us could honestly imagine him any other way.

"He can have that effect on people," Fang muttered, smirking slightly as he saw Iggy's expression. I tried to smile at the two of them but it ended up turning into more of a grimace.

The four of us broke off into our own little conversations. Iggy and Ella were talking quietly amongst themselves and I looked down at my hands, not really in the mood to talk to anyone. I was perfectly fine with the content silence Fang and I had. Until, that is, he interrupted it.

"I still haven't gotten my car from the school," he said softly. I had totally forgotten about the fact that my mom had driven us home and that we left his car in the parking lot. It was probably an icicle by now. "Want to go for a walk?" He asked, standing up and holding out his hand.

"Sure, why not." I mumbled, taking his hand and standing up. I felt his fingers tighten around mine as we started walking up the stairs to my room and the guest room. We split and went our separate ways once we reached them. I sighed and slowly went over to my closet. I pulled out a completely random pair of jeans and an old, baggy tee shirt. I pulled them on and grabbed my jacket off of the back of my chair. I snatched my knit hat off of my bed post as I slip my feet into my snow boots and I shoved my arms into the sleeves.

I walked out of my room, seeing that Fang was already waiting for me. He was, as usual, clad in his usual black jeans, old black boots, and his big jacket with the hood already over his head. I pulled my hat on and started walking over to the stairs, taking them slowly, making sure I didn't trip down them with all my winter gear on.

"Ella, Iggy," I called out, poking my head into the kitchen as Fang made his way to the front door. "We're going to go get Fang's car. We'll be back in about an hour." I added, making sure they knew where we were just in case Iggy left, although I doubted he would. He would definitely stay with Ella.

Fang and I walked out of the door, locking it on the way out. We started walking down the street in silence with the exception of Fang jingling his car keys in his pocket. I shivered and frowned up at him, realizing how cold it really was but he didn't seem to be affected by it. He just kept walking, head held high, eyes looking straight ahead of him. I sighed and watched my breath mix with the cold air once again. It couldn't be over thirty degrees out.

I felt Fang's arm wrap around me and I looked up at him. His face was a mixture of emotions that included worry and concern. I just then realized that my teeth had been chattering and I was shaking all over but as soon as Fang touched me and his hand was gently touching the side of my cheek, a warm electric jolt flew through me.

"Max?" he asked quietly, raising his voice so I could just hear him over the wind chills rushing past us as we walked down the abandoned street. I looked up at him curiously, wondering what he was going to say. "Uh, about this morning-"he started, looking down at me. I was afraid he was going to bring that up.

"What about it?" I asked, hoping to stall him a little longer. Let's just say I was never one to share my feelings willingly.

"The, um, the kiss." He said awkwardly. I had honestly never expected us to talk about something like this so it caught me completely off guard. I never thought something like us kissing would ever happen but I guess I was wrong.

"What about it?" I questioned, trying to play it cool even though I was getting more and more anxious by the minute. I didn't want Fang to know that though.

"What was it?" he asked absentmindedly. I looked up at him confused and he frowned down at me. "I mean, what was it to us? Did it mean anything? Was it just spur of the moment? What was it?" he clarified.

"I'm- I'm not sure," I said, looking over at him carefully. I really didn't want to say anything that could potentially ruin our friendship. "Did it mean anything to you?" I asked, curious to see what he might say.

"I'm not sure," He said, looking down at his boot clad feet as they stepped on a patch of black ice. "I mean, I think so." He added, making up his mind. My eyes widened a fraction and I looked up at him, trying not to look as astonished as I felt.

"Fang," I started, not wanting to talk about this. Things were confusing enough as is. "I think we should talk about this when everything that has been going on blows over." I said, looking up at him. A look of mixed hurt and anger crossed his face and I jumped at the chance to continue. "I mean, I'm just not sure that our heads are clear enough to deal with something like this. You could be mistaken about the- the kiss. After all, you are under a lot of stress." I added, hoping he would understand. This is why I didn't want anything to happen between Fang and me romantically. It could really mess up our friendship and I really didn't know what I would do without him.

"Yeah, you're right." He said, nodding his head. I thought he actually meant it too. There was a small glint of sincerity in his eyes that I almost never saw. I moved slightly closer to him, feeling his arm tighten around my shoulders. I just wanted to hold onto him and never let go.

"But, for the record," I added, not wanting to leave Fang out on a limb in this conversation. "I think I felt something too." He looked down at me carefully and a small smile spread across his lips. He gathered me into his arms as we crossed the street and into the school parking lot. He gently kissed my forehead and I smiled inwardly. It had worked. At least we had that taken care of. For now.

We walked like that down to his car, the only one left in the parking lot other than one or two that probably belonged to the janitorial staff. We both stopped dead in front of the back of the car and he let go of me after a long minute of just standing there in the cold, we both broke apart from each other and went to opposite sides of the car.

I pried open the freezing door and climbed in, not feeling a change in temperature at all. I immediately started to shiver and I reached out to turn up the heat as Fang started the car. I turned the various dials, trying to make the car heat up faster. I felt a warm hand over mine and I looked up at Fang. He was staring down at me with an amused expression playing in his eyes. My hand burned where his bare skin was touching mine and I gave him a small smile, him returning it with his eyes.

He pulled out of the parking lot, not taking his hand from mine as he drove. I waited for the heat to kick in but nothing was happening.

"I'm really starting to hate the winter," I muttered, looking out the window at the snow-covered trees and icy roads. Fang was driving pretty slowly, trying to avoid any of the snow and ice that was on the road.

"Yeah, me too" he said bitterly. His palm was warm against mine and our fingers were intertwined, "But I guess that since Christmas is coming up it'll be worth it. I guess." He added and I inwardly smiled. It was almost December. Maybe things would look up then.

"I guess so." I agreed, looking around at him. He was concentrated on the road, his eyebrows furrowed. We pulled into the driveway and I saw that my mom's car was in the driveway. She and Mr. Keyes must have gotten home already.

Fang pulled into his driveway and we both climbed out, going out into the cold. We started walking over the small patch of snow-packed grass and over to my house. I unlocked the door and pulled it open, feeling the warmth flow through me. Fang and I walked over to the kitchen after shedding our winter jackets and boots.

"I just don't know what I'm going to do," I heard a voice say as we stopped behind the bend of the kitchen. "I've been trying to hide it from the kids but I really don't think I can do this any longer." I held out my arm in front of Fang, stopping him from walking into the kitchen. He hadn't heard what his father said. He gave m e a quizzical look and I frowned, putting a finger to my lips, telling him not to talk.

"John, please relax," my mom answered, "We'll get through this and you know that. We'll definitely get through this." She added. I heard her put a cup down on the table.

"I know but, Valencia, I don't know if I can handle this." Mr. Keyes said with pain heavy in his voice. "Mary was the only woman I've ever loved and Nudge-"his voice trailed off and I could hear sobs.

"John," my mom said. I looked up at Fang, whose eyes were filled with tears. I reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "Mary always loved you and she'll always be with you no matter what." there was silence for a couple of seconds, "And Nudge, well, Nudge loved you with all her heart. She looked up to you so much."

Tears streamed down my face and I turned away, facing Fang. He leaned down, putting his forehead against mine and he wiped away a tear on my cheek. He sighed and shook his head, grabbing my hand and pulling me up the stairs. By the time we reached the stairs, he was taking two at a time and his grip around my hand was tightening drastically. He looked like he wanted to sprint down the hallway but he restrained himself until we reached my room.

"I'm sorry," he said referring to why he had dragged me up the stairs with no warning. "I can't hear that. I can't listen to him lose hope." He said, looking at me with one single tear falling down his face. I jumped up on my toes and hugged him, kissing his cheek as he hesitantly wrapped his arms around me.

"There will always be hope," I whispered, tightening my arms around his neck. "It'll never be lost." I added. I knew it was one of those classic lines that people only say in the movies but this time, it felt real. It needed to be said.

I unlatched my arms from around Fang and sighed, taking a deep breath and strengthening myself for something that I needed to do. I looked up at Fang for one second but then looked away, walking over to my desk. I grabbed my phone off of it and turned it on, listening to the ringing that sounded when it started up.

After waiting for it, I closed my eyes and let my fingers do all the work. I opened my inbox, using muscle memory and I looked down, opening the text messages that people had sent. Some were from Fang, others were from Iggy, and there were even a few from Sam but I only cared about the ones what read 'Nudge Anderson-Keyes' at the top of it. My thumb paused over the button and I prepared myself.

Fang came up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him and he nodded, urging me to click the button and open the text. I inhaled deeply and read them. There were messages about her wanting to be asked to the dance, her being at the mall and finding lollipops the size of her head, and a seven page long message about seeing out principal at her favorite store.

There was only one message that had any meaning. I stared down at it, not noticing anything else around me. The screen's light was shining up into my eyes and I snapped out of it when a tear fell right on the screen. I looked up at Fang and he had tears rolling down his cheeks also.

There was only one word written. That one word tugged my heart and I felt like I was drowning in tears. All that was written was, "Goodbye."

* * *

Okay, so that was chapter seven.

I hoped you liked it. I didn't really what I was writing as I was typing it so I had to re-read it to see what I had really written. It's not one of my best chapters, I'll admit it, but it's not my worst.

I'll explain what the text was in the next chapter so don't worry about it or anything.

Do you love it? Hate it? Have any suggestions? Let me know!


	8. Chapter 8

Hey everyone!

I'm so, so sorry about the wait. Things have been kind of crazy and due to an injury it's extremely hard for me to type but I'm trying! That's my excuse for any mistakes in the next few chapters.

It's shorter and not that interesting (basically because it's just a filler chapter) but it'll be worth it in the end. I think. Anyway, the next chapter is the funeral (I am SO excited to write it) and this is setting it up!

Anyways, enjoy!

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Goodbye? Goodbye? What was she talking about, goodbye? How did she know she was-?

_How did she know she was going to die? _I thought to myself, my hands starting to shake violently. I let out the deep breath I hadn't known I was holding. Fang put his clammy hand on my shoulder and I looked up at him. His eyes were filled with tears, along with mine. The suddenly streamed down his face and it looked as though he couldn't contain them to any further extent. He wasn't able to hold in his emotions any longer.

He placed his forehead on my shoulder and I looked over at him. He was still standing behind me so I slowly turned around, feeling his head fit perfectly right into my collar bone. I wrapped my arms around him in a comforting manner and I could feel his hot tears seeping through my tee shirt. I couldn't resist but cry myself.

I backed up slowly and sat on the edge of my bed, Fang walking along with me. I leaned back onto my pillows and Fang laid down with his head resting on my stomach so that we made a 'T'. He lifted himself up onto the bed and we just sat there in silence.

"I need to know," He said, looking over at my phone, which was still resting on my desk. "I need to know what she was thinking when she wrote that." He continued the tears in his eyes drying up and becoming forgotten.

Fang got up off my bed and I felt the weight from his head lift from my stomach. I sat up and watched him as he picked up my phone and hesitantly opened it up. He walked back over to the bed and sat cross-legged in front of me. He went into my inbox and I didn't even mind that he was going through it. He had an excuse and a damn good one at that.

His fingers paused and the clicking from the keys stopped. I looked over at him curiously and saw realization dawn on his face. I repositioned myself so that I would be able to see my phone also. I looked down at it. Underneath the test message, it said

_Message received: November 27__th__, 2009; 1:52 PM_

_Message stored: November 28__th__, 2009; 5:36 PM_

My heart constricted. School ended at 2:20 that day and Fang and I were in the office waiting for my mother to pick us up for the last forty minutes of class so that meant that we were waiting in the office from 1:40-2:20.

If I had gotten the text at 1:52 then that meant that Nudge was still alive when she sent it. It also meant that she had sent it from either the scene of the accident, or, while she was _dying_ in the ambulance.

I looked up at Fang and he stared down at me with wide eyes. I was slightly confused to see such emotion on his face but it didn't matter. I put my head against Fang's and just thought. I didn't cry. I didn't sob. I didn't bawl. I just thought.

Nudge was practically on her deathbed when she had thought enough of us to steal her phone back from the EMT's and text us her final words farewell. She had given up the hope she had for herself to live and predicted what would happen by actually telling us that she would never be heard from again.

And then, there I was, sitting on the bed with my head against Fang's, trying not to break down yet again. Then, I realized that I, Maximum Ride, was holding in my hands with my best friend, Fang Keyes, the last words of one of the most influential people in my life. My best friend; Nudge Anderson-Keyes.

* * *

"Where are mom and Mr. Keyes?" I asked Ella as Fang and I walked into the living room from the stairs. Iggy was still at our house and he was sitting on the corner of the couch with Ella in his arms. She looked up to him as a big brother sometimes, although most of the time she looked at him with admiration and affection. He, on the other hand, just saw her as the younger sister he never had.

"They went to the hospital and the morgue," Iggy said in a quiet voice after Ella had tried and failed at telling us the answer. She was shaking all over and her voice kept stuttering as if she were a skipping CD.

"Oh," I said, getting kind of mad that they hadn't thought to tell us that but I let go of that anger quickly. They had a lot more things to deal with then we did. It wasn't their fault that they had forgotten something that wasn't completely important at the time. "When did they leave?" I asked.

"About an hour and a half ago," Iggy replied.

I glanced over at the clock and was slightly shocked. I hadn't realized that it was actually later than I had thought. It was already going on six o'clock. I shook my head and sighed, running my fingers through my hair hastily. I turned to Fang and caught his eye.

Something told me that we couldn't tell my mom and Fang's dad about the text. Although I really, really wanted to, I thought that it would be a little too much for them to handle. They were already going through too much as it was. Maybe it would be smarter to tell them after the funeral. That way, they had nothing to be preparing for and they could react to it anyway they pleased.

Fang and I both nodded in agreement. It was one of our silent conversations that only we could have. Instead of using our voices to communicate, we used our eyes and facial expressions. It was the perfect way to let the other know how feeling without anyone else around us knowing. It was like a super power we had and we wielded it well.

A small ringing sensation made its way up to my ears and I listened to it. I glanced over at the door and realized that someone had rung the doorbell. I shook my head slightly, clearing out all of the abstract thoughts I had, and walked across the room to the front door. I pulled it open and looked down, seeing two blonde children and a woman standing before me.

"Max," Mrs. Marlinton, Denise, said as she pushed past her children and gave me a hug. I gave her a quick smile and noticed that she too had tear stained cheeks. I gestured for her to come into the house but she just shook her head. "I just wanted to bring the kids over since they made you guys some cookies." I looked down at Lucas and Angela and saw that they both had large trays of tin foil-covered cookies. I tried to smile but it turned into more of a grimace.

"Thank you," I said, taking the trays out of the kid's hands. Iggy, Ella, and Fang came over and took them from my hands. Iggy and Fang immediately shoved a cookie into each of their mouths and Ella just glared at them with disgust. The four of us really had an unhealthy obsession with cookies.

"Oh, sweetie," Denise said, shaking her head dismissively. "It's the least we can do. Plus, Angela really thought it would cheer you four up." She said, nodding her head down at Angela's golden curls, then at the four of us who, by now, were all eating our second cookie each. Angela grinned cheekily and I reached over and patted her curls.

"I just like to eat the cookie dough!" Lucas exclaimed, looking over at me. I ruffled his hair and he hugged me, his arms flinging around my waist because of the height difference. I held him to me and let go when he shivered.

"You better get home," I said, taking note of how cold it was outside. "It's getting late- and cold."

"Ah, yes," Denise sighed, looking over at her kids as she backed down the icy stairs carefully. "It's best we get going." She added for more effect. Lucas followed his mom down off of the porch and to the driveway but Angela ran over to me for a hug.

"Are you going to come over again?" She mumbled into my shirt as her mother waited patiently for her.

"Anytime you want me too, sweetie," I stated, definitely ready to jump at the chance to babysit her- or just to take care of her. She was such a little, for lack of a better word, Angel.

"And Fang?" She added, breaking away from me and looking over at the dark figure looming behind me. He looked down at her and a small smile graced his lips.

"You don't even have to ask." He said, stepping next to me in the doorway. She grinned and hugged him quickly around the waist before turning and running back out to her mom and brother. I waved and watched them walk down the driveway for a minute and then closed the door, realizing how cold it was.

Fang walked into the kitchen, where Iggy and Ella now resided, and I smirked as I caught them all shoving cookies in their mouths. Fang still had a small smile on his lips and my heart tugged. Something about Angela really got to him. I didn't know what but it looked like he had a serious soft spot for her. Who wouldn't? She was just so sweet.

I took a cookie off of the tray and sat down on the stood to the island in the kitchen. Fang plopped down next to me and frowned as he lifted another freshly baked chocolate chip cookie to his mouth. His brows furrowed and his eyes got that far-away, glossy tint to them.

I looked over at him thoughtfully. It was times like these that I'd give anything to understand what was going on in his head. His thoughts must be so interesting since he was always wrapped up in them. Something told me that if he had Iggy's thought process instead of his own, Fang would be a lot more talkative since it wouldn't be as interesting but, it seems like Fang always as a year-long debate going on in his mind and sometimes, you just really want to be part of it.

"I should probably go," Iggy said as he stood up slowly. "Best be home before mom starts to worry," He muttered, looking around at us. Ella stayed seated but Fang and I both stood up. Iggy walked over and gave Fang a handshake and a 'man hug'. He turned to me after a second and wrapped me into a hug.

"Look after Fang," Iggy mumbled into my hair. I frowned. "You're the only person he needs, Max." He added, kissing me on the forehead. I smiled faintly at him and he returned my barely-there grin. He walked out of the room and into the next, grabbing his jacket before leaving the house.

"I'm going to bed," Ella muttered, getting up from the table abruptly and sliding the chair back noisily. She walked out of the room but I heard her pace pick up. She started running once she hit the stairs.

I felt sorry for her but nothing, _nothing_ could match the remorse I felt for Fang. This had to be the hardest thing he would ever have to go through. I looked over at him and saw him staring after Ella also. I reached over to grab his hand but met his soft touch halfway there. He had been reaching for mine.

Our fingers felt like magnets as they clashed and laced together. I held his rough, callused hand tightly in my own and I felt him gently squeeze my fingers. His palm was warm against mine and it just felt- right.

* * *

The next few days, well, let me just say that the next few days were not any better than the last; especially the first day back to school after the--- incident.

Later Saturday night, Mr. Keyes and my mom came home and called Ella downstairs, telling us about all of the arrangements for the funeral. They had scheduled it for Tuesday, just to get it over with. That way, they would have all of the large ceremonies out of the way and then, they would be able to grieve in peace.

We were all relieved to find out that the parents had decided to do a proper burial instead of cremations. We didn't know why, but it put us at ease. Somehow, some of the weight was lifted off of everyone's shoulders. Everyone except for me. I was glad to see that things were looking up for Fang and his father. They were feeling a lot better than they had been the last few days but something in the pit of my stomach told me that this wasn't going to be over. Not for a long time.

Monday was filled with apologies for what had happened and flowers following Fang to each of his classes. Everyone understood that he needed his space so, they gave it to him. Even Lissa. I was the only person he talked to all day but he barely even talked to me. I didn't think that he was ready to be back in school yet. I guessed that was just me being paranoid but it felt way too soon.

Finally, Tuesday came. The day of the funeral. The day that I would look back on for the rest of my life. The day everything fell to pieces.

* * *

Do you love it? Hate it? Have any suggestions? Let me know!


	9. Chapter 9

Hey everyone!

I am SO sorry for the (very) late update! Things have been crazy here with mid-terms and doctors so I've been totally swamped! This chapter didn't turn out as well as I had hoped and I wrote it about three times before I settled for this version but I hope you enjoy it anyway!

* * *

Silence engulfed us as Fang, Iggy, and I sat in fear of what was to come in just an hour. We had gotten out of school and we made our way over to the small church where the funeral was being held. Thoughts ran through my mind at supersonic speed but everything else around me felt as if they were in slow motion.

It was almost five o'clock and the people were starting to come. I clasped my fingers together and played with my thumbs as I heard voices outside. The three of us were sitting in the small room that was set aside from the rest of the church. It was only about fourteen feet by twelve feet but it was big enough for the three of us to just sit there and think. The walls were painted a deep red and were illuminated by the occasional wall lamp hanging close to the ceiling. There were crimson couches lined against the walls, leaving a space so the door can swing in.

More and more noise came from outside and I tried not to listen. The people started to arrive and I heard the car's engines through the paper-thin walls. I tried not to get to anxious as I squeezed my fingers together.

We had collectively decided that it would be a lot easier on everybody if we just combined the attributes of a wake and a funeral. Instead of having two separate days to remember the deceased, we are putting it all into one day and the people can view the late after the family gave speeches. In short, we were doing this our own way and nothing else would matter.

I bit my lip slowly and felt my front teeth digging into it but I didn't stop. It was the only think keeping me from crying, which was something that wouldn't be helpful. I felt a hard hand cover mine and they relaxed slightly. My palms ached as I realized that I had been digging my nails into them for the past fifteen minutes. I separated my hands and laced my fingers with those of Fang, who moved over towards me gently.

I jumped slightly as the door opened and I saw a sullen Mr. Keyes standing there, perfect posture and all. He looked at the three of us, sitting solemnly in the room, staring at the floor, and spoke, giving us something to hear for the first time in hours, "Iggy, your parents are here. They want to talk to you." He said stiffly. Iggy nodded and stood up, grabbing my hand and squeezing it reassuringly. I looked up at him and saw pain splayed all over his face. He let go and left, taking some of my heart with him.

Mr. Keyes looked over at us and nodded awkwardly, closing the door after him and Iggy. I leaned back on the couch and closed my eyes, letting my whole body relax. I felt the couch move next to me but I thought nothing of it. I opened my eyes again and saw Fang looking down at me intently. He gently reached over and brushed back loose strands of hair that fell into my face. I tried to smile at his warm touch but my face just stayed stoic. He stared down at me and I tried to see what was going on in his head but I couldn't see anything in his dark eyes.

I tapped my heel-clad toes silently against the plush carpet and I felt a groan escape my lips. I heard Fang chuckle lightly as he looking down at me. I felt so awkward and so… uncharacteristic. My mom had managed to get me into a dress and I really, really did not like it. It made me feel so bare and naked compared to my usual tee shirt and jeans. It took a lot of arguing but she finally got me into it but now, I really didn't mind it all that much. It wasn't a very over the top kind of thing. All I would allow her to buy was a simple black dress with purple designs going down the left side of it. It was a little lower cut than I wanted but according to her it was 'perfectly flattering'. Ella had given me one of her necklaces to wear but I really didn't mind it. It was a simple chain with a large rose pendant on it. Overall, I just felt weird but it was just for one day so I tried to manage.

Fang, on the other hand, had no problem dressing up. He and Iggy both had black suits on, Fang with a black shirt and red tie, Iggy with a white shirt and blue tie. They both cleaned up very well but somehow, Fang just looked so different. I had seen Iggy dressed up before when he went to school dances and what not, but I had never seen Fang look so presentable before. He still had his usual messed up hair but it was lifted up off of his face and his eyes were clearly exposed.

I straightened up and reached over to him, not taking my hand out from his. I smoothed out the sides of his hair and smiled slightly as I positioned it back over his eyes like he usually had it. He smirked at me and tightened his grip on my hand, looking at me through soft eyes.

I heard a small sound and felt a breeze as I looked back over at the door. Ella was standing there with my mom both filled with sorrow. "It's time to come out with us," my mom said, holding the door open wider. I nodded, knowing that we would eventually have to go out and face everyone. I had been silently hoping that they would forget about us and that we could just sit there with only the company of each other. Something in Fang's eyes told me that he felt that way too.

They both left the room, not closing the door, and I turned back to Fang. He stood up slowly and held his free hand out for me. I grabbed it and let him pull me up into him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and I stood on my toes, pulling him down towards me. Despite the heels, I was still a good five inches shorter than him. Last year he was a string bean. When had he grown up so much?

"Don't leave my side." He demanded, whispering in my ear. I nodded into his shoulder and closed my eyes, fitting my cheek against his collar bone.

"I won't," I promised, leaning away from him. I straightened us out so I was looking up at him and I stared into his eyes. His frown turned into a gentle smile as he kissed my gingerly on the forehead. I grabbed his hand tightly and took a step away from him, getting ready to venture out into the midst of everyone at the funeral.

Fang squeezed my hand and led me out of the room and into the crowd of people all dressed in pitch blacks and deep grays. He led me to the front of the church where his father was standing with my mother, Ella, Iggy, and his parents. The three of our families have always been extremely close so it didn't come as a surprise that they were there together.

Since we had all agreed on a very… unconventional funeral, we changed everything around. Instead of having one speech by the head priest or something, only Mr. Keyes was giving a speech. I could only imagine how heartfelt would be.

Mr. Keyes took a deep breath and cleared his throat, watching Fang and I walk up the couple stairs that led up to where they were standing. People all across the room looked up and watched as Mr. Keyes shifted from foot to foot awkwardly and started to speak.

"Hello," he announced, "and welcome. I know this is not how many of you planned to spend this Tuesday afternoon but I stand here in hopes that you will stay for a length of time and pay your sorrows to my newly deceased wife and daughter." Tears welled up in his eyes as he continued, "There is not much I am willing to say about these past few days but what I can tell you about is the past. The past is where all of the happy memories of my family are held and I intend on having more with my son but it will definitely not be the same since both the love of my life and my baby girl are no longer with us.

"I know that if they were looking down on all of us right at this very moment, they would encourage us not to mourn their passing, but to celebrate their life and what they had achieved. Nudge especially was an optimist. All that she would want her friends and family to do at a time like this is find the beauty in it. I'm not entirely sure how you would choose to do that but please, just think about her as you go through your daily activities. She was an unforgettable, sweet, caring young woman and I highly regret not spending more time with her.

"And then, there is my beloved wife. She never failed to see the good in everything and I hope that I will be able to follow her example and do the same. She was not like any other woman that I've ever met, which was why I fell in love with her at first sight. She was the most beautiful woman, inside and out, and I know that it will never be the same without her. I hope that I will be able to get through all of this, and I plead for all of your help. I have never done anything like this so, I would like you all to raise your glasses, and say a silent prayer for them. I know it is how they would like things to be done.

Slowly, people raised their clear, crystal glasses and bowed their tear stained faces. The room became deathly silent as eyes were closed and hands were held. Not one person objected to Mr. Keyes request. If they didn't have a glass, they would hold each other's hand and hold their clasped fists in the air. I reached over to Fang and Iggy, bringing them both to my sides and squeezing their hands tightly. Iggy put his arm around my shoulder and brought me into his chest, making sure that my hand still stayed in Fang's.

Heads started to rise as glasses fell. Mr. Keyes thanked the crowd shortly and stepped off of the stairs. He ventured into the crowd of people and began talking to each and every person, not missing one man, woman, or child. I glanced over at Fang, whose head was still bent down. Iggy kissed my temple lightly and let go of me, walking to the other side of the room where they were bringing in the coffins from the hearse. I watched him carefully as he stood in the silent line of people who were getting ready to view the departed. A hard hand grasped my shoulder and I looked up at Fang. His eyes were pain-filled and it looked as if he couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed his arm and brought him down to one corner of the room, making him sit on one of the chairs sitting there. He leaned on his knees and put his head in his hands. I heard soft sobs go through him and I patted his back gently, not exactly sure what to do.

I sat there, unable to believe what had happened over the last few days. I felt like I was in the middle of a depressing movie. Nothing seemed real but somewhere deep down, I knew everything was. Through my eyes, it felt like I was watching a black and white movie. Nothing was in color. Nothing was detailed. Nothing was clear. It all just melded together to create action scenes or tear jerking moments that I really didn't understand. Even if I looked back on things that happened just an hour before, it all still seemed like I was looking back on what happened years ago.

Something inside of me make me think that I was above everyone, my sight being cast down on everything that was happening like I was some sort of God or something. I could see everything at once even though I could see nothing at all. I was just in the kind of stupor that anyone would go through when they lose a loved one but for some reason the pain and remorse was intensified so much that I didn't know how to deal with all. Thoughts and memories ran through my mind at lightning speed, not letting me hang on to them or let them linger long enough to recognize or analyze them, but everything around me was moving in slow motion. Tears slowly fell down people's cheeks. Hands and fingers were hesitantly shaking as they held them to their hearts. Breaths were exhaled gradually as people tried to prevent themselves from crying even more. No, I wasn't in a sad, tragedy movie anymore. Now, I was in a horror film. One that wouldn't let me get away from what was going on. One that always made me think about what was going on instead of letting my mind wander to other things. One that kept me here horrified of what would come next.

People occasionally walked over to us, giving their condolences to Fang. His family and friends all came around, giving him a hug (which Fang o-so awkwardly returned). He introduced them to me one by one but I never got around to remembering any of their names. All I knew was whether they were on his father's or his mother's side and if they were his or Nudge's friends.

Nudge's friends from school came around also. There must have been at least fifty of them that came over to us every fifteen minutes. All of them visited us on their way out, after they had viewed the deceased. Most of the girls were crying hysterically (with the acceptation of one or two) while the boys we're either silently crying or not shedding any tears at all. We received hugs from every single one of them but I never actually felt any better.

After we had been sitting there for a couple of minutes without anyone coming over to us, I turned to Fang, giving him a questioning look. As if he read my mind, he said, "No, Max, not yet." I frowned and glanced up at the short line in front of the coffins.

"Fang, why not?" I asked, looking at him curiously. He just looked at me like I was crazy, "You'll have to do it eventually. Why not now?"

"I'm scared," he said quietly. I wasn't even sure that I had heard him say anything. "I'm scared to go up there and see them. I want to but something is holding me back. Things changed that day in school when I found out about the accident and I don't think they're ever going to go back to normal. I just can't go up there and see them like that. Lifeless. It just confirms that they're never coming back. It just tells me that I'll be alone. I don't want that to happen, Max. I won't let it." He concluded. I looked over at him, kind of surprised by the amount he had talked but I figured it was good for him to let it out. I felt a little bit of his apprehension in me as well. I didn't want to go over there and find that they were gone forever. It was just something I was not willing to do.

"Don't be scared," I answered softly, hoping my voice would start shaking too much, "If you go over there now, then you can get through it. It will confirm that they are gone but it won't mean that you'll never see them again or that they won't be missed." I said, trying to persuade him. For some reason, I felt this would be good for him. I knew he would go over and see the coffins later anyway but I guessed that the sooner, the better.

He nodded and sighed, leaning back in his chair. I looked over at him and took a deep breath, wondering what was going through his head. I used to be able to read him like a book. I always knew what he was thinking and what he was getting ready to do but lately, lately I haven't been able to get anything from him. He was just so impassive it was hard to separate one fleck of feeling from another and sometimes it was just easier to ask how he felt rather than to go investigating but most of the time, he never talked about his feelings or emotions. He just waved them by and didn't think about it twice. He put everyone else before himself every single time.

I stared down at my feet and groaned silently. I just wanted to get through this day without being a total wreck but something told me that that wasn't going to happen. I was unable to get past the fact that the reason we were here was one that happens almost every day in other people's lives and they get through it just fine. I couldn't help but doubt that everyone would be able to get over this as fast as most other people would. I made me start to wonder why some individuals are enlightened by death. Sometimes, I just saw the pain and malice in it instead of the beauty.

Two feet stopped in front of my, the tips of their black dress shoes just an inch away from my open toed heels. I looked up at the person, seeing the familiar black, blue, and white suit. Iggy way staring down at me, water droplets falling out of the corners of his eyes. I straightened up and stood up, looking at him intently. I knew that he had gone over to the coffins but I was so preoccupied with Fang I had forgotten.

I put my hand on his cheek, wiping the tears off of it with my thumb. He put his hand over mine and I could tell he was shaking. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him in to a hug which he immediately returned. I felt his hands flat against my back through the thin material of the dress and I resisted a shudder.

I felt the tears on my temple as they rolled off of his cheeks and I frowned, knowing that it took a lot for him to cry this much. It took a lot for all of us to cry but this event really drew the limit. I broke apart from him slightly so I'd be able to see his face and I saw horror in his eyes.

"What happened?" I asked softly, directing my attention on him. "What's wrong?" He took a deep breath but shook as he did so. He closed his eyes tightly and leaned his forehead against my head. I sighed and waited patiently for his answer.

"I just went up and," he started, his voice breaking, "I can't think about it, Max, I just can't. Nudge- she looked so, so wrong." He muttered, "I know she's supposed to look peaceful and at rest but she doesn't. She looks pained and horrified and…" he trailed off.

"I'm sorry," I replied, not actually knowing what I was sorry for, "I'm sorry you have to see this and go through all of it." I said, hoping it would sound as good as it did in my mind. "No one should have to go through all of this. It just isn't right." I clarified, giving him one more hug. He seemed to calm down a little bit so I broke away from him and held my arms out to him, straightening out his very crooked tie.

"Max, are you okay?" He asked, seeing my expression of mixed panic and worry. I continued to straighten his tie, then his shirt, then his jacket. "Max," He repeated, grabbing my hands before I got to his collar. "What's wrong?"

"I'm worried," I said, relaxing my hands so Iggy would let go of them but he just held them tighter. "I'm worried about Fang, and Mr. Keyes. I don't know how they're going to get through this. I don't even know how they got this far." I said, staring at his baby-blue eyes.

"It's okay," he said, looking over at me. "Mr. Keyes is tough. He was in the army after all. He can get through this. As for Fang, I think that as long as he has you at his side, he'll have an easier time getting through all of this. I really think you're the one that is keeping him going." I blinked at him, surprised at what he has said. I really didn't think Fang needed me as much as I needed him. I always thought it was just some invisible force that kept him going; not me.

"Okay, okay." I said, twisting my hands so they covered Iggy's. "Thank you." I said, giving him a miniscule smile. I released his hands and turned around, expecting to see Fang sitting a couple paces away from me but was surprised when I didn't. Instead I saw five empty blood red chairs lined up along the wall. I whipped my head around, looking at Iggy worriedly, who was mirroring my expression. I stood on my toes and tried to look over the crowds to find where Fang went. I promised him that I wouldn't leave his side.

"Ugh!" I groaned, looking back at Iggy, "Even in these stupid heels I'm still shorter than everyone here." I said, exaggerating a little bit. Honestly, I was taller than everyone there since I was fine-foot-eight with three inch heels on. Iggy just smirked down at me. He was easily six-foot-four so he was taller than everyone in the room by at least two or three inches. I turned towards the crowd and jumped a little bit to try and find him.

I saw a dark head bobbing up and down in the sea of people and I jumped up, grabbing Iggy's arm and dragged him after Fang. I watched as he walked over to the line of people still waiting to see the deceased. The men and women in the line moved out of the way so Fang just walked past them without looking at anyone or anything around him. He walked up the small set of stairs and stopped in front of the two coffins that were sitting side by side. I let go of Iggy's hand and ran up to the bottom of the stairs, giving Fang some space. People stepped aside for me as I stared at Fang intently as he looked down at his mother, lying there in peace.

Suddenly, he turned on his heel and walked quickly out of the room. For a second, I thought about letting him go alone but I remembered what he said about wanting me to stay by his side and I sped after him, trying to go as fast as I could in the heels I was wearing. I caught a glimpse of him walking into the side room we had been in with Iggy before the funeral started. I fought my way through the swarm of people and over to the door. I yanked it open and walked in, stopping dead.

As soon as I walked in, Fang was slamming his fist against the wall, pulling it back immediately as he remembered that there was a brick wall underneath all of the paint. I watched in horror as the crimson blood fell down his wrist and I felt my eyes go wide.

"Fang," I whispered, taking a step forwards, putting my hand on his shoulder. He just shrugged it off and turned around to face me. His eyes were red and bloodshot as he tried to nurse his torn open knuckles.

"It's not supposed to be this way!" he shouted for no real reason. I was almost positive that no one would walk in because the door was pretty much hidden underneath all of the paintings and in between the chairs. "They're supposed to still be here! It's not fair! This shouldn't be happening like this! Nudge is supposed to be going to all of the dances and having fun with her friends! It's not fair!" He added, staring down at me with angry eyes.

"It's okay. It'll all be okay." I assured but he shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"No! Max! It won't be okay!" He said angrily, "It'll never be okay! They're gone, Max! Gone forever and there isn't anything I can do about it! It's not fair! I'll never get to see my baby sister go on her first date or graduate high school! My mom will never be able to see me play! She left my dad and I alone!"

"Fang…" I whispered, tears coming to my eyes. I had never seen Fang so angry before. "It's going to be-"

"No!" he screamed, taking an intimidating step forward. I felt his hand collide with my cheek and I staggered back, horrified.

* * *

Please don't kill me!!! I know it was totally OOC for Fang but that's how the story has to go!

I know that's not how a normal funeral/wake works, but the way I wrote it was the only way I was able to get everything to flow smoothly. Hopefully you liked it anyway!

Please review and tell me what you thought!


	10. Chapter 10

Hey, are you guys flippin' serious? Over 100 reviews after my NINTH chapter? That's so awesome! I've never gotten this kind of response on my stories before. I probably shouldn't be getting this excited but you are the best readers/reviewers ever!

Enough of me getting excited... Next chapter, enjoy!

* * *

I stepped back in shock, unable to believe what had just happened. I held my hand to my cheek as a sharp stinging erupted from the strike. Fang's face seemed to soften as his eyes became less angry and more... apologetic. I stumbled backwards, tears welling up in my eyes.

He reached out to me, his expression genuinely worried but I tore my hand back. I just kept stepping backwards, trying not to cry even more but that plan failed once I felt the tears roll down my cheeks.

I turned around, getting ready to sprint out of the room but stumbled, thanks to my lack of coordination and high heels. I grabbed the door frame and pulled myself up, flinging myself out of the room, not caring that I was crying uncontrollably. I sped through all of the people and tried to avoid them but was unable. I walked into them, stepped on their feet, and knocked glasses out of their hands but all I cared about was leaving.

One thing ran through my mind and that was the two words Fang had shouted after me. Actually, I wasn't even sure he had said anything. It could have just been my imagination but I prayed that he had indeed said them. What are those two words, you may ask? I'm sorry.

I ran through the groups of people standing around and talking and manger together past most of them without getting asked any questions. I felt a large hand catch my upper arm and I spun around, seeing a very confused Iggy trying to get around a group of people in the process of leaving. I snatched my arm away from him and slowed down, making it easier for me to get around the people without any aggravation.

I burst through the glass doors and walked around the church, holding my hand at my cheek the whole time. Tears ran down my face as I listened to the soft footsteps. I sat down on the bench in front of the small garden and absentmindedly stared at a rose bush, eyeing the thorns curiously.

The footsteps came to a slower pace and I glanced at the corner. I saw Iggy jogging over, out of breath slightly. He caught sight of me and turned to me immediately. He looked down at my pathetic figure before sitting down next to me.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly, running his fingers through his short blonde hair. I looked up at him, letting my hand fall from my cheek. He hesitantly reached over and touched it lightly, his eyes widening significantly. His fingers felt icy cold on my skin but it was good. He flattened his whole palm against it and enveloped me into a hug.

I sat there in his arms, shaking from the sobs running through me. I wasn't crying because of pain or sadness, but because of the lingering feeling of betrayal in my heart. I let my mind push aside any feeling of physical pain I had and let it be repressed as I focused on the mental and emotional pain.

I sobbed into Iggy's shirt as he muttered encouraging words to me under his breath. He didn't ask what happened. He didn't dig into things. He didn't assume anything. He just sat there, holding a broken-hearted girl in his arms without a second thought.

"Maxie," he whispered once my sobs were reduced to shudders. He pulled back from me and wiped away my tears gently with his fingers. "What happened? Did he- did he do that?" he asked, sensing my uncharacteristic inability to speak. I just looked into his pale blue eyes and nodded slightly, feeling lightheaded the more and more I did so. He put his hand gently on the back of my head and brought me to his chest once again. I let him without any complaints.

His hands rubbed my back briskly as a slowly hugged him back. I didn't need to talk. All I needed was someone to hold me and never let go but, regretfully, my number one choice for whom to do that was currently unavailable. I just let Iggy stroke my hair down and rub a soothing circle on my bare upper back. It gave me chills but I disregarded them. That was the price you pay for wearing an open- backed dress to a formal event.

Again, Iggy broke away from me and I immediately wished he hadn't. I missed his warmth and comfort as soon as his body unlatched from mine.

"I'm going to take you home," he said, standing up stiffly. I nodded, not moving from my spot. "I'll be right back. Don't move." he added in, holding his hands out.

I watched him walk away, probably going inside to get our jackets and his car keys. I shivered slightly as I waited for him but I knew it would take him longer than a couple of seconds to find everything he needed. I sat there on that bench until I was sure that the November air was freezing my toes. I stood up slowly and stretched out my arms, feeling the cold really settle in. My teeth started to chatter as I walked around the bend and to the front doors of the church. I tried to ignore the little things that would usually bother me like the frigid air, my inability to walk in a straight line with high heels on, and the annoying headache I had circling my mind. I walked over to the front, not bothering going inside since I saw Iggy walking to the door, two jackets slung over his arm and keys jingling in his fist, and an annoyed expression on his soft face. Then, I saw Fang walking close behind.

"No, Fang," I heard Iggy saying once he opened the door, "she won't talk to you!" he tried to slam it on his face but he caught it on his toe and flung it open, following Iggy out and over to me. Iggy just picked up his pace.

"Iggy, come on! Please, Max!" Fang said as he stopped walked and stared after us. I took one second to glance back at him and I saw a pleading look on his face.

Iggy draped my jacket over my shoulders and curled his arm around my waist, pushing me forwards towards his car. I mentally thanked Iggy.

The last thing I wanted to do right now was talk to Fang and thanks to him, I didn't have to. He practically threw me over to the passenger side of his truck before taking one last fleeting look at Fang and climbing into the driver's seat.

"I'm sorry, Maxie," he said, looking over at me as I pulled the seatbelt across my body. I gave him a slightly annoyed look but really had no obligation to him calling me Maxie. After all, he was like my big brother. "I didn't think you would want to talk to him after what happened."

I nodded, straightening out the hem of my dress. "I don't" I muttered, not looking up. "And thank you" I added, looking up at him. His hands were gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. I reached over and put my hand over his, feeling it stiffen then relax. His hand turned over and left the steering wheel as it gripped mine.

"I told your mom and my parents you felt sick so I was going to take you home." he said, keeping his eyes directly on the road. We only lived about ten minutes away so we were already halfway back to my house. "Your mom told me to stay with you." he said after many moments silence.

I just nodded and adjusted my jacket so I could shove my arms through the sleeves. Iggy sighed and glanced over at me, a curious look on his face but he said nothing.

A few minutes later we arrived at my house. Iggy parked on the street, knowing he'd be leaving after my mom and Ella got home so he left room in the driveway for my mom's truck. He turned off the engine and slid the key out of the ignition as he got out of the car. I looked at him carefully and saw that he was coming around the back of the car and over to my side. I tried to open the door before he did but I wasn't able to. He yanked it open as he rubbed his hands together and blew in them, trying to warm up his fingers.

He held out his hand for me to take and I did, keeping my fingers wrapped up in my jacket. I stepped out, my legs beginning to freeze as soon as they left the warmth of the car. I shivered and stepped onto the road. I took a few steps forward and heard Iggy slam the door to his truck behind me. I started walking down the driveway, trying to avoid falling on the ice. All I wanted to do was get inside and curl up with a steaming mug of hot chocolate, and that was exactly what I did.

When I entered the house, I went straight up to my room and changed into sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt. I didn't care about how I looked. As long as I was comfortable, it didn't matter. I put my curly hair up into a pony tail but did nothing about the make-up. It would take awhile to take it all off anyway.

I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen to see Iggy standing at the stove, heating up some water for hot chocolate. It was like he read my mind. I walked over to him and gave him a small smile. He had already taken off his jacket and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his dress shirt, letting his pale skin show. He smirked at me as he saw the transformation from clean, chic Max to baggy, comfortable Max.

"Are you okay?" Iggy asked after a couple of minutes. I looked up at him and nodded, sighing irritably.

"I'm fine," I muttered. For some reason I felt fine. I felt normal, although nothing around me was normal at all. "I'm just really tired." I added in, suddenly feeling very lethargic.

"Let's watch a movie," he said, suddenly smiling. He reached over and handed me a mug filled to the brim with hot chocolate and marshmallows. I looked at him curiously as he pushed me slightly into the living room. I put my mug down on the coffee table and plopped down onto the couch, curling up against the back of it.

Iggy knelt down in front of the television and looked through all of the DVD's we had. His brows furrowed and frowned when he didn't find what he was looking for. He went over to the trunk that we kept out old Disney movies in. He grinned and pulled one out, hiding it so I couldn't see what it was. I watched him curiously as he put it in the player and jumped onto the couch next to me.

"What did you put in?" I asked, looking at him as he fast forwarded through all of the previews and commercials before the movie.

"Our favorite movie from when we were kids," he said, chuckling to himself. I looked over at the TV and saw 'The Little Mermaid' go across the screen.

"I remember watching this with you!" I said, remembering when he and I were watching this at his house. We both had fallen in love with it. "I still don't know why you liked it so much, though." I said, watching the beginning of the movie.

He shrugged modestly and replied, "What can I say, that Ursula is just so damn hot!" I smiled and laughed, picturing her in my mind.

"I really don't think she's your type." I said, laughing at the thought of Iggy and her together. "Actually, I don't think she's anyone's type."

"You're right," He mumbled, looking at me carefully, "There's only one girl for me,"

"And who might that be?"

"Madonna!" he exclaimed happily. I tried not to laugh at him but it was almost impossible seeing as he had a goofy smile spread across his face. I snorted and laughed. "What? Why are you laughing? I think that we're perfect together! She loves me too! Just ask her!" I just laughed harder and harder.

"There's the Max we all love," He said softly, wrapping me in a hug. I smiled and hugged him back, kissing him on the cheek as I pulled back.

"You always know how to make me smile," I said, repositioning myself so that my head was resting on his leg and my feet were hanging over the side of the couch. "That's a great thing to be able to do." I added.

"I have this power, and I will use it for good!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms into the air cheering. I chuckled and looked back over at the screen, seeing how much of the movie we had missed while we were talking. I felt his hands come back down behind me, one playing with my hair, the other holding his hot chocolate.

We watched the movie for about another half hour, occasionally talking throughout it. I jumped in surprise when I heard a knock on the door. I looked up at Iggy and sighed, getting up slowly. I turned slightly and felt my back crack. I relaxed my shoulders and got up and walked over to the door, unlocking it and pulling it open and standing in front of me stood a stone-faced Fang.

I glanced back at Iggy, who looked as though he was still trying to sort through his emotions. I looked up at Fang and frowned, wondering what I was supposed to do now. I really had no experience with situations like this.

"I'll go upstairs," Iggy said, jumping up off the couch and paused the movie. He strode up the stairs, probably going into my room to use my laptop. I stepped back and let Fang walk into the house and out of the cold. I was relieved that he had come. I didn't want to lose him.

I stood across from him and waited for him to say something but he uttered no words. He just stared down at me in horror, though, I wasn't sure why. I didn't know whether he was horrified of himself, or me.

He slowly reached forwards with a shaking hand and put his hand on my cheek. It was cold against my warm skin and I resisted a shudder. His thumb traced circles on my cheekbone and he stepped forwards, bringing me into his arms. "I'm sorry," He said softly in my ear. "I'm so, so sorry. I don't know what came over me."

I flung my arms around him, not completely trusting him like I had before but this couldn't be helped. I tightened my arms around his neck as he tightened his grip around my waist. We stood there for what felt like hours but was only minutes. I stepped down from him and looked at him closer. His eyes were red and bloodshot and had bags underneath them.

"I should get back," he muttered, "Dad wanted me to say goodbye to everyone."

"Can you stay?" I asked, looking at him with puppy dog eyes. "Please?" He smiled softly and nodded. I smiled and grabbed his hand and led him over to the couch.

"The Little Mermaid?" he asked skeptically, looking at me from the corner of his eye.

"Do you have a problem with people who want to be… under the sea?!" Iggy shouted from around the bend. He raced into the room and jumped onto the couch, sitting cross legged next to me. He draped his arm over my shoulders and gave me a silly smile. I rolled my eyes and leaned back against the couch. I felt his hand being lifted off my shoulder. I looked over at him and he shrugged and pointed at Fang. I looked over at him and smiled as he pulled me into him.

We just sat there, three best friends since the third grade, watching The Little Mermaid together. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

* * *

So, there you go. I tried to make this chapter a little lighter and happier. It has humor between Max and Iggy because a lot of you reviewers say you like those two interacting.

Do you love it? Hate it? Have any suggestions? Let me know!


	11. Chapter 11

So, new chapter!

BlueStripedPolo- I kept Fang, Iggy, and Nudge's names the way they were for two reasons. One was because I really didn't want to stray too far from the books (considering that they have no wings, they didn't go to the school, etc). My second reason is that I, personally, do not think that any other names fit the flock other than the ones they had in the books. Those names are who I know them as not Nick, Monique, James, or any other names they are given. Plus, maybe their parents were hippies or something.

Also, I'm sorry for any late chapters lately, I've been trying to avoid FanFiction because of the million of people who are posting stories about Fang: A Maximum Ride Novel. I've been reading through the summaries to find a good story and I read about something that happens in the book. People! Remember! The book hasn't come out in some places! Warn us before we start reading!

Anyway, here's the next chapter!

* * *

Have any of you ever wondered how fast rumors are spread? Maybe something happens on a Friday and by the following Monday, only a few people know. If only that was what happened in our school. If one of the gossip spreading girls sees or hears something, it can be assured that the whole school will know by the next day. For instance, if someone sees a fight between best friends, rumors will be spread faster than anyone can guess.

'Hey it just takes some time, little girl; you're in the middle of the ride,' I jolted awake in bed as my ringtone sounded. I frantically searched through my blankets as the music started to end. I picked up my pillow and saw my phone, the outside screen flashing green. I picked it up instantly and checked the caller ID. Iggy.

"Hello?" I said drowsily, I put my pillow back down and crossed my legs, running a hand through my hair.

"Max?" I heard Iggy say exasperated, "Did you get that text going around?" He asked urgently. I looked down at my phone and frowned as I went into my inbox while still on the call.

"No, I just have a text from Ella," I said, reading over her text about leaving early for school quickly, "Why? What was it?"

I could hear him sigh. He sounded as though, like me, he had just woken up. I listened for his explanation. "I'll show you later," He mumbled sadly. "Can you and Fang pick me up?"

I nodded but then realized that he couldn't see me nod so I gave him a quick, "Sure, we'll be there." He muttered a thank you and hung up. I looked down at my phone, confused. How could a text be so bad that he needed me to see it?

I groaned and swung my feet out of bed. I glanced down at my clock and frowned; Iggy had gotten me up early. I took my time getting dressed, searching through my closet for something to wear but I just settled for a simple gray tee shirt and my favorite black jeans. I brushed out my hair and pulled across my shoulders.

I sat back down on my bed and sighed, taking a minute to think. What could be so horrific that Iggy needed to call me about it? I shuddered, fearing that it had something to do with what happened at the funeral. I slipped on socks and sneakers and stood up, stretching out. I grabbed my phone and slid it into my pocket as I walked down the stairs. I entered the kitchen and checked the clock once more. I had a little less than a half hour until Fang and I went to go get Iggy.

I started to gather all of my schoolbooks together and put them all into my bag, making sure I had everything I needed for the day. I was about to go into the kitchen and grab some breakfast when I heard constant knocking on the door. I quickly went over to it and pulled it open.

"Why!?" Fang exclaimed, walking through the door and into the house before I even knew it was him. "Why didn't you tell me?!" He yelled angrily as I stared at him in confusion.

"Fang!" I shouted, trying to get his attention, "What are you talking about?" I frowned as he took a deep breath. He reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out his phone, and searched through it for a minute. He held it out to me once he found what he was looking for and I took it instantly, my eyes analyzing everything.

I looked down at the screen and felt my mouth drop. I scrolled through the words and stared at the pictures. It was unbelievable. I turned around and walked into the kitchen, my eyes not leaving the five words written underneath the first picture. What were these five words? 'Iggy and Max? GOING OUT!"

The pictures, oh the pictures were way worse than the words. If anyone saw these and didn't know the whole story behind them, they would immediately assume that we were going out and that was exactly what they did.

There were three of them in total. The first was one of Iggy and I hugging outside of the funeral after what had happened with Fang and I. The second was me kissing his cheek. And lastly, the third of us walking to his car, his arm wrapped around my waist. It probably looked like we were dating, but if anyone saw what had really happened; they would know that Iggy was just protecting me. He's always been there to protect me.

"Fang," I stammered, "These aren't… these aren't what you think!" I saw the rage in Fang's eyes. I wasn't even sure why he was mad. Even if Iggy and I were going out, why would it matter to Fang?

"Oh yeah, Max? Well, then what are they?" He asked through gritted teeth. I stayed silent. I couldn't speak. I felt like I was going to break down and cry right there but I held in all of my emotions. "Exactly; they're exactly what I thought they were." He strode over and snatched his phone out of my shaking hands.

"Get yourself another ride," He said right as he exited the front door. He closed it and I didn't do anything until I could no longer hear his footsteps outside. I leaned against the wall, one tear falling down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away.

"What just happened?" I said to myself so quietly I was even sure I had said anything. I groaned and tried to figure out everything. Why had Fang gotten so worked up over that text? Who even sent the text? How many people think that Iggy and I are going out? I sighed. These were all questions that would be answered in just a half hour.

I reached into my pocket and grabbed my phone, my fingers immediately dialing Iggy's number. My shaking hand held the phone to my ear as I waited for him to answer. I started walking up and down the thin strip of tile in between the table and the wall, muttering darkly.

"Hello?" Iggy said into his phone. I straightened up and all of my senses were on hyper alert.

"Ig! I need to talk to you!" I exclaimed. Maybe he could explain what was happening because I sure as hell had no idea what was going on.

"I thought you would. I'm coming now. I'll be there as soon as I can." I heard the soft click and the dial tone as he hung up and I sighed. I grabbed a poptart out of the cabinet and walked over to the couch in the living room, sitting down as soon as I reached it. My eyes shut automatically as I leaned my head back onto the cushions.

* * *

"Max? Max?" said Iggy as he shook my shoulders. I sat up, startled. "You didn't answer the door and it was unlocked so I came in." He explained after seeing the confused expression on my face.

"Oh, okay," I said, wondering how I became so lost in thought that I didn't even hear him knocking. "Let's go."

He picked up my bag and handed it to me as he held the door open for me. No one could ever say that Iggy wasn't a gentleman. I climbed into the passenger seat of his car as he slid the key in, starting it.

"What's the matter?" He asked after a minute. He shifted slightly in his seat so he was able to look at me without taking his eyes off the road for too long. "Why did you call me?" Pure, genuine worry was in his voice.

"Fang came over about ten minutes before I called," I said quietly, looking up at him nervously. He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, urging me to go on. "He showed me the text that went around. The one of you and me."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry about that. It's all my fault." He muttered, looking at me apologetically.

"It's not your fault, Ig," I said, shocked. How could he think any of this was his fault? "It's mine. I shouldn't have left like that. If I hadn't, you wouldn't have followed."

"Max, you had every right to do what you did." He said but I just looked at him skeptically. "What did Fang do?" He asked after a few minutes of silence. We were maybe five minutes away from the school by now.

"He came in and started yelling about why I 'didn't tell him about us going out'. He didn't realize that it was just a rumor." I said calmly, trying to remember exactly what happened. "He showed me the pictures and when I tried to explain he didn't want to hear it and left." He nodded his head slowly as he searched around the school parking lot for a space. Once we parked, we still had time before class started.

"Come on, it's better to face everyone," he said, cutting into my thoughts. I nodded. He was right. We needed to get in there and face the rumors before it gets too out of hand. I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out, grabbing my bag before slamming the door shut. Iggy did the same.

We began to walk to the school, occasionally getting looks from the students hanging out outside before first hour. Only some were looking, but they all were talking. I really didn't see the big deal. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the group of girls that Lissa hung out with walk up to Iggy and me as we talked quietly amongst ourselves

"Max!" Lissa called out, jogging to catch up with us. I stopped, wondering that she wanted. "Max, wait up!"

I stopped, wondering what she wanted to talk to me about. Iggy looked at me worriedly but I nodded to him and he took that as a hint to keep going. I guessed that whatever Lissa wanted to talk about with me, had nothing to do with him. I turned back to where she was, catching her breath after chasing after my long strides.

"Max, are you okay?" She asked her voice lowering and her eyes filling with concern, "I heard about what happened. I wasn't sure if it's true but I figured you might want a girl friend that you can talk to." I looked at her, stunned. Sure, we were friends, but neither of us actually took the time to make a difference in our friendship.

"Uh," I said, wondering that to say. Should I tell her the truth or leave her in the dark? "Thank you. I might take you up on that offer." With that, I gave her a small smile, which she returned, and walked away. The truth was I thought that maybe talking to her would be a good idea. Just not now.

* * *

Lunch. The one time we have freedom during the _long_ school day. The one time we have a chance to talk with our friends. Those are the assets of the hour in between classes. The downside? Having more time to think about your best friend who's mad at you for something that never happened.

"Hey, Max?" A voice called out to me as I started walking to the cafeteria. I turned around and saw Fang jogging behind me. I stopped for a second. Did I want to talk to him? "Max, I need to talk to you." He said, placing his hand on my shoulder. I stiffened, still nervous every time I was around him.

"Yeah," I said, turning around to face him, "We really do." I agreed, beginning to walk with him. We started to take the longer way around the school to give us more time before we got to the cafeteria.

"Look, I'm- I'm sorry," he said, turning to me slightly as he spoke. He held out his hands, almost like some kind of peace offering. "I really shouldn't have blown up at you this morning and, I'm sorry about what happened the other day. I'm just sorry about everything. I don't know what has been going on with me lately." He said, looking over at me.

I stopped, looking at him curiously. He, honestly, was acting different. I didn't know what was going on. "It's okay." I said, turning to him and hugging him gently. "It's been tough lately. I understand." I added, hoping it would tie it all together. I felt him smile into my hair and I tightened my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. I pulled back, smiling warmly at him.

"So, we're okay?" he asked hopefully, looking me in the eyes. I gazed back at him and suddenly, it all felt like normal. Something in his eyes told me he felt the same. He pulled me back into his chest and gave me a small grin.

"We're perfect," I said, grinning into his chest. He cheek rested on his collar bone and I closed my eyes, letting him wrap his arms around me. It felt like old times. We were best friends and nothing would change that.

"I have to go see the guidance counselor," He said, looking over at the door to the office. "I lost my math textbook." He said, chuckling.

"Go," I said, laughing. I smiled and watched him walk down the hallway. Things were back to normal but I couldn't help that something felt out of place. I guessed nothing would be the same. I turned around and walked into the cafeteria, sitting over by Iggy.

"Ig?" I asked, staring absentmindedly at my lunch tray of disgusting food.

"Yeah, what's up?" He asked through a mouthful of food. I looked at him, appalled as some kind of green substance fell out.

"Why do you think Fang got mad like he did at that rumor?" I asked out of sheer curiosity. By the time second period rolled around, Iggy and I had told most of the school that everything in the text and everything that they heard was just a rumor with the help of Lissa and some of her friends.

"Max," He said, putting down his fork and turning to face me, "I can't believe you haven't noticed."

"Noticed what?"

"Well, for starters, he cares about you beyond belief." He said matter-o-factly. "There's _no one_ that he cares about more than you and you should know that. You've been his best friend for years."

"Yeah, I guess but that does that have to do with him getting mad over a rumor about you and me?" I asked, looking up at him as I drank the last few drops from my water bottle.

"He," Iggy started, choosing his words carefully, "he is very protective over you. He wants to make sure that you are safe and sometimes I'm not the safest person. I think he was just worried that you would get into trouble with me." I could tell he was lying through his teeth but I didn't push it any further. Maybe I would find out the truth eventually.

"Come on," I said, picking up my full tray and empty water bottle and leading him over to the garbage cans.

"I can't believe you didn't eat anything," Iggy said in disbelief, "You have the biggest appetite I've ever seen and you barely touched your spaghetti!"

"That's meatloaf. Not spaghetti." I said, throwing it away, appalled. He laughed and threw away his soda can before we went into the hallway. "I need to get my books from my locker. Are you coming?"

"Yeah, it beats staying in detention with Mrs. Smith." He said, shuttering. Mrs. Smith was the senior PE teacher and she was probably the meanest woman on the face of the planet. I smiled and walked slowly down the winding hallways to where my locker was.

"Have you talked to Fang yet today?" I asked, looking over at him as he played with the chain around his neck.

"In English I did." He said, thinking for a minute, "He asked me if I was talking with you and then we started working on our project together."

"Oh," I said, looking down, "I just talked to him. He apologized but I'm not really sure what to do." I admitted. In all truth, I was still nervous around Fang. This was the second time he had gotten mad at me and I didn't want anything to happen like what had happened at the funeral. I knew he apologized and that he honestly felt bad for what he did but something changed in him.

"Do you trust him?" Iggy asked and I nodded, "Do you still care about him?" I nodded again, "Are you scared?" I couldn't bring myself to answer him. I looked up at the ceiling, my eyes following the lines dividing the large tiles. It took all I had, but I nodded again. I was scared beyond belief and I had no idea what to do. I felt like I was losing him.

I felt tears well up in my eyes but I ignored them, pushing all of my feeling to the back of my mind. I had to try to act normal around Fang or I might lose him forever and I had no idea what I would do if that happened. I felt Iggy's arm wrap around my arms, rubbing the briskly as we walked down to my locker. I smiled and rolled my shoulders, talking a deep breath.

I opened my locker in silence as Iggy leaned against the one next to mine. I grabbed my bag and shoved my books into it before closing my locker with a little too much force. Iggy snickered and I shrugged as almost the whole hallway turned to look at us. I gave everyone a 'what are you looking at' look and they turned back to their friends or went back to doing homework they hadn't done the night before. I ran my hand through my hair and sighed, wanting to go home.

"Relax," Iggy said from next to me, "Two more periods and then I'll take you home and make you cookies." He added with a smile. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Wow, Ig, you always know how to please a girl." I said, laughing slightly.

"I try my hardest!" He exclaimed, holding his hands to his heart in thanks for the compliment. "I just need you to smile again." He said seriously, looking over at me. I gave him the biggest smile I could muster up and he grinned back. "There's my Maxie!"

"Are you ever going to stop calling me Maxie?" I asked, glaring at him through strands of hair that fell in front of my eyes. "It gets really annoying, you know."

"I know," He said, nodding, "That is the exact reason I continue to call you it. It always seems to get on your nerves, yet make you smile."

"You must be a hit with the ladies," I said, wondering if he used all of the cheesy lines he uses on me with everyone else. Maybe I was just his practice to see if they work even though they NEVER did.

"Definitely," He said, grinning confidently, "I mean, I can't keep them off of me!" He practically yelled, holding his arms out. I smirked as some of the people around us ducked under them so they wouldn't get hit in the face.

"The bell!" I said happily as it rang, stopping our conversation. "Off to forensics!" I said, shifted my backpack from my left shoulder to my right.

"Shall we?" Iggy asked, holding out his hand. I smiled and took it right as we began skipping down the hallways, occasionally knocking down one of two freshmen. They gave us dirty looks but we knew the truth. They wanted to be just like us. (Please note sarcasm).

We entered the classroom a few minutes early due to our unnecessary skipping. I let go of Iggy's hand and went straight over to my seat while he stayed at the front of the classroom and talked to Mr. Patterson about something involving his poor performance grade.

I took out my notebook and started doodling as more and more people began to fill the room. I felt a presence in front of me but I thought nothing of it. Nobody sat in front of me so someone probably just moved in order to be closer to their friend. I turned my notebook to doodle at a different angle when I saw the person turn around.

"Can I borrow a pen?" They asked but I didn't recognize their voice. I looked up and practically did a double take.

"Yeah," I said, grabbing one out of my bag and handing it to him. "Are you new here?" I asked, looking over at him as he flipped the pen between his fingers. I couldn't help but stare at him.

"Yeah, I just moved here from Kentucky," He said smiling, showing off a perfect set of pearly whites. "I'm Josh."

"Max," I said, eying him carefully. His dark brown hair was long but short enough that it didn't cover his eyes, which were a beautiful blue-gray like the sea after a storm. He reached out with a tanned hand and I took it, shaking it slightly. I felt a tingling sensation run through my fingers as my skin touched his and I smiled.

Our hands broke apart and he turned around as Mr. Patterson began to start talking. "We're going to finish watching the movie we started on Friday so we can start the new case tomorrow!" he said, followed by cheers from the class. He turned off the lights and started the movie.

I looked around, seeing Iggy sleeping on the floor underneath his desk. I smirked and kicked his leg, waking him up. He sat up straight, hitting his head hard against the desk. He groaned and shot me the bird while I tried to contain my laughter. He laid back down and I smiled, turning back to face the screen. I looked to my left and saw Fang and Lissa huddled over a desk, talking quietly to themselves. What was going on over there?

"Sorry if I'm getting annoying, but can you tell me where Room 213 is?" I tuned to look at Josh, who was holding out his schedule to me. I took it and looked over it.

"You're not annoying," I said, smiling at him, "and Room 213 is my next class. I'll walk you there." I said, handing back his schedule.

"Thanks," He said, staring right at me. He glanced over at Lissa for a minute and looked back over to me, "Are you friends with that Lissa girl?" He asked quietly.

"She's nice but we're not exactly the best of friends," I said, not exactly sure if we were friends or not. "Why?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. He laughed for a second, showing off his dimples.

"Ever since I stepped into the school this morning, she's been flirting nonstop with me. It's actually really annoying." He explained, glaring over to where Lissa was staring at him. At least she stopped whispering with Fang.

"Get used to it. For three years, she's been voted 'school flirt'." I muttered, eyeing her darkly as she blew Josh a kiss. He looked at her awkwardly and turned back towards me, putting his head on my desk. "She won't stop until you get a girlfriend." I said, thinking of how she's flirted with guys until they started going out with someone.

He looked up at me, no emotion crossing his face, "I guess I'll have to find myself a girlfriend then," He said, a small smile appearing on his lips.

"I guess you will then," I said, tearing my eyes away from his lips and back up to his eyes. He seemed to notice where I was looking and smirked, keeping his eyes on his.

I felt entranced by his eyes as I stared at him, my lips curving up as he brushed a strand of hair out of my eyes. I saw him moving in slightly before my eyes began to burn. I quickly leaned back in my chair, rubbing my eyes, mentally cursing Mr. Patterson for choosing now to turn on the lights.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back over the chair, sighing deeply. What was I doing? How could I be thinking about someone like that when I had just met them a half hour ago? There was no way that I could fall for someone, let alone kiss them in that amount of time. I sat up in my chair and let my eyes just adjusted to the light as we waited for the bell to ring. I couldn't help but notice that Josh's eyes kept flicking back to me, a smile obvious on his face. Maybe I wasn't the only one feeling the way I was.

"Hey, Max?" a voice that I hadn't heard all day asked. I looked over to see Fang. "Are you coming tonight?" He asked, looking at me hopefully.

"Yeah, when don't I come?" I asked, smiling over at him. Sure, I was a little scared of him at the moment but he was still my best friend. There really wasn't much I could do about that. "I'm coming and if Iggy ever wakes up, I'm taking him too." I said, looking over at where Iggy was still asleep on the floor.

"Good, you know I need you there," He said, grinning.

"Then I'll always be there." I replied, looking at him carefully. He smiled bashfully, confusing me. Since when was Fang ever shy? He was always a go-getter when it came to being shy or timid. Something was going on.

I turned around, kicked Iggy once more, getting him up so he wouldn't be late for class… again.

"Don't touch my dinosaur!" Iggy yelled as he sat up. The classroom went silent but then burst into hysterical laughter as Iggy adapted a confused expression as if he was trying to figure out why he didn't want me to touch his dinosaur. He shrugged and stood up, stretching out his back as the class's laughter died down. The bell rang and the class dispersed, each person going to their next class.

"Ready?" I asked Josh as I stood up. He nodded and stood up next to me. It was then that I realized that he was a lot taller than me. We began to walk down the hallways together, me pointing out where some of his classrooms are. I tried to give him a running commentary on all of the students and teachers that we passed but there were too many to name, so I just stuck to the teachers.

"Hello, Max," Ms. Finch, my English teacher, said, smiling over at me.

"Hi, Ms. Finch," I said, giving her a wave. She had always been my favorite teacher. "This is Josh. Josh, uh, what's your last name?" I asked him, giving him a small smile.

"Lesser. Josh Lesser." He laughed, smiling at me warmly.

I smiled, thinking to myself. Josh Lesser. I liked the sound of that. I smiled to myself and walked over to my desk, daydreaming the whole way there. Josh walked down the aisle and sat kneeled next to my chair for a minute.

"Can I ask you something?" He asked me, his eyes boring into mine. I nodded and turned to face him. "Since I'm new in town, I don't really know much about the town so I was wondering," he looked down at his hands nervously, "I was wondering if you wanted to show my around town this weekend."

"Sure," I said, smiling over at him. "Definitely," I added, smiling. He grinned stood up, walking around to where he sat.

Needless to say, I didn't pay attention all period. I kept thinking about Josh. How he looked at me; how he made me feel. I knew that there was no such thing as love at first sight, but there could be something close, right?

* * *

Whoa, that took such a long time to type out! I know that Fang was barely in that chapter but it's just setting up for the next.

Hope you liked it! Please, leave praise, letters of hatred, excited drabbles about upcoming chapters, random facts that I don't really need to know but I really want to know, love letters, song lyrics, food recipes, or really anything you want in a review. :)


	12. Chapter 12

Yo! I am SO sorry about the late update! Things have been pretty busy, what with school, homework, and physical therapy (I have a seriously messed up shoulder).

Anyways, I am NOT happy with my last chapter but instead of rewriting it, I'm just going to throw in a lot more twists and turns. Hope all of ya'll like it anyway.

Disclaimer- I do not own Maximum Ride or McDonalds but I do own McGorgeous!

Onwards!

* * *

Once I got home, I did everything I could not to scream in excitement. Besides the whole 'text debacle', it had been a great day. I dropped my bag on the couch and kicked off my sneakers, stretching out my toes. I ran into the kitchen, sliding on the tile floor and went over to the table where my mother had left a list of things I needed to do before I went out tonight.

I read it over, but didn't really know what it was saying. I was just excited for tonight. It was Fang's first time back to basketball since last week. He was starting in the game tonight and I was excited to see him play.

I sat down on a chair in front of me and thought for a minute. Why was everything going rotten with us lately? It seemed that nothing would ever be able to be back to normal. Needless to say, I was definitely a little scared of him. After what happened at the funeral, I wasn't sure that we would ever be as close as we once had been. I didn't want to lose him as a friend but the chances of it happening were actually bigger than I had hoped.

I shook my head, thinking about everything that was going on was going to really put an end to my good mood and, considering I hadn't been in a good mood in a long time, I wanted to stay the way I was. I glanced back down at the paper my mom had left me and tried to read her messy scrawl. The woman was nice but you need a translator every time she wrote something down.

I read through it quickly. Most of it was the usual. Do the dishes, take out the garbage, clean your room, etc. My eyes paused at two sentences at the bottom of the page. I blinked my eyes, wondering if I had read it wrong but it still said the same thing. I turned it over, crumpled it up and threw it down on the table, hoping that it would magically disappear and I wouldn't have to deal with it but when I flattened it out, the words were still written there. _I'm sorry but Jeb is coming over tonight. Ask Ella for the details._

My fist clenched, the paper being crumpled yet again. Immediately, my good mood disappeared. Having Jeb come over was something I did _not_ want. At all. I tossed the paper in the garbage and sprinted up the stairs, heading towards Ella's bedroom.

"Ella?" I called once I was a footstep away from her room. "Ella, what is mom talking about when she said Jeb is coming tonight?" I asked, looking at her impatiently. She clicked something on her laptop and closed it, standing up.

"She means that we invited him to come to stay for a few nights." She answered, brushing past me and walking down the hallway. I blinked once, frowning instantly.

"What are you talking about?!" I almost screamed at her. "Why would you invite him here after all he did?" I added, following her to the stairs and walking behind her as she slid down the banister.

"Me and mom thought that you have to get over everything, Max." She said like it was an easy decision. "We don't even know why you hate him. You never told us anything about that day." Ella added, glaring over at me as she walked into the living room and plopped down onto the couch.

"Ella, I've told you two a million times that I still can't talk about it," I said, shuddering at the memory. I didn't want to be mad at Jeb but I had to. There was no way I couldn't. Things are still not the same.

"And that is exactly why we invited him here. You need to get over this." She said, flipping through the channels and stopping on some movie. "We can't help you if we don't know what happened and since we don't know, maybe he can help us figure it out because you refuse to tell us." I frowned. From their point of view, the plan was genius but from mine, it made my life even more of a living hell.

"You are- ugh!" I said, storming out of the room. If only they know what happened. Why didn't I tell them this before? Then I would never have to see him ever again. I went up to my room and collapsed onto my bed, my good mood officially destroyed. Now, I didn't want to do anything. I just wanted to lie in bed all afternoon and cry but, sadly, that wasn't an option. I closed my eyes and tried to relax but every time I was able to get my mind off of what was happening, something just pushed memories back into my mind. I felt slow tears fall down my face as I cried silently to myself. No one understood and it was going to get someone in trouble. I just hoped and prayed that it wouldn't be me.

"Max? Max?" a voice called down to me, causing me to come out of my lethargic state. I opened my eyes from my dream-filled sleep and saw Fang leaning over me, shaking me slightly. I sighed and sat up, rubbing my head. "Are you ready?" He asked. I was confused for a second but then saw him in his uniform.

He held out his hand and I took it, nodding slightly. I felt kind of better after my little power nap but still felt like crap. The last thing I wanted was to go out but Fang needed me so I had to. "Are you okay?" He asked me, concern in his deep brown eyes as he looked down at me carefully.

"Yeah," I said, putting on a fake smile. "I just have a lot on my mind," I added, starting to walk down the hallway. I skipped down the stairs and walked past Ella, who was still watching the same movie on the TV. I looked at her impassive face as I slid my feet into my shoes. Ever since the funeral, she never showed what was going on in her mind. She wasn't impassive like Fang, where he just didn't show them. She looked like she didn't have any emotions. She never smiled, frowned, laughed, sighed, or anything else. She was just there. I wasn't sure if it was because of the loss of her best friend or something else she wasn't telling me. We had a very strained relationship nowadays.

Fang opened the door for me and we both exited the house, not bothering to say anything to Ella since she already knew where we were going. I tried to keep my cool as we went over to his car and got in but I was unable. I kept shuddering, not from the cold but from images relaying through my mind. Fang seemed to notice and looked over as he stopped at a red light.

"What's wrong?" He asked, looking at me carefully. I wasn't even sure if he was actually sincere but I hoped he was. "And don't tell me nothing, I know something is up." He said as soon as I opened my mouth. I thought of something else to say for a minute.

"He's coming back." I muttered, my voice cracking so it came out more like a squeal. He looked at me confused but then sighed, realizing what I was talking about. I had only told him and Iggy about what happened because, at the time, I was closer to them than I was with Ella and my mom.

"Why?" He said, through gritted teeth. "Why would he ever come near you again?" He almost yelled, his knuckles turning white as he held onto the steering wheel.

"Ella and my mom invited him to stay." I answered, thinking about it for a minute.

"Why would they do that? They know—Wait," He slowed his speech as he turned to me; "You didn't tell them did you?" He asked, foot stomping on the brake.

"I couldn't!" I cried out, feeling the anger radiate off of him. "My mom was going through a lot! I couldn't tell her about it and Ella was so young! She wouldn't understand what happened! You and Iggy are the only two who know." I said, fighting back tears.

He didn't say anything as we continued the trip to the school. It was another home game so we were playing in our own gym. We got out of the car and walked into the school in silence. I knew he was thinking things over but I wasn't sure what I was going to do. Maybe it was a mistake to tell him right before the game.

"I'll see you later," He said, hugging me as he turned and walked into the locker room. I frowned and made my way into the gym where about twenty people were scattered. I say Iggy sitting in the top row of the bleachers and climbed to next to him. I sighed and leaned my head against the wall.

"Maxie?" He asked, turning to face me, his bright blue eyes shining. "You don't sound too good." He said as I groaned. I turned my head heavily to face him and stared at him in the eye. His small smile faded and honest concern masked his face. "What's going on?" He asked immediately.

"He's coming back," I said, more hot tears filling my eyes. "Tonight. He's coming back." I repeated slower, putting more emphasis on it so Iggy would know who I was talking about. His eyes widened and he clenched his knuckles. He growled under his breath and I put my hand over his. I was scared he was going to do something stupid, which he was most likely going to do due to his past of reckless behavior.

"You aren't going home." He said, grabbing my hand and squeezing it tightly. I felt the corners of my lips rise as he pulled me into a hug. "It's going to be okay. I'll think of something. Fang and I will think of something." He said, assuming I had already told Fang and he was right. He let go of me and gave me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. You won't have to see him."

"Thank you." I said quietly, feeling completely vulnerable. I knew that Iggy would always be there for support and I knew that he would never leave me. There was a reason that he was one of my best friends.

We sat there in silence as more and more people filled the bleachers. "Iggy!" Someone shouted. Iggy smirked and stood up, giving the guy a one-handed 'man hug'. I looked up at the person and smiled when I realized who it was. "Hey Max." He said, holding out his hand. I took it and he pulled me into a quick hug before turning back to Iggy.

"Josh," Iggy said, looking between me and him, amused. "I see that you know Max already." He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. Josh and I both kicked him, causing Iggy to cry out in pain and sit down, rubbing his shins.

"I hope you don't mind if I sit with you guys." Josh said, grinning at me. "I really don't know anyone else here." He added, looking around carefully.

Iggy looked over at me and smirked, "Sure, Max would love that!" He announced, causing the people around us to look over in our direction. I kicked him again and he grunted, trying to take it like a man.

"Ignore Iggy," I said, chuckling as Josh came to sit next to me. "He's delusional." I added for extra effect. Josh laughed and I smiled, completely mesmerized by his eyes.

He smiled and looked down at me with interest. "You know, I don't get you." He mused, "You're just so amazing without even realizing it." I blushed and looked down at my hands.

"Oh, come on!" Iggy shouted from behind me. "Man that is the _worst_ pick-up line I have ever heard!" He added, trying to get a rise out of me.

"You're right," Josh said, winking at me. He looked over at Iggy and smirked. "I should really use better ones."

"Good!" Iggy said, satisfied.

"How's this?" Josh said, clearing his throat. "Girl, if you were a sandwich at McDonalds, I'd call you a McGorgeous!" He rolled his eyes and looked back over at Iggy. "Was that good enough?"

A slow smile crept across Iggy's face and turned into a full-blown grin, "That. Is. AWESOME." He almost screamed. He stood up and ran over to the nearest girl to us and put his arm around her, saying Josh's pick-up line. She scoffed, slapped him, and walked away complaining darkly to her friend. He looked at her in shock for a minute but then shrugged and went over to the next girl. It was a vicious cycle.

"Josh?" I asked, still looking at Iggy. He looked over at me and waited, "You ruined that boy's chances for ever getting a girlfriend." I said, turning to look at him.

"Well, now you know what his pick-up lines are in case he ever used them on you," he said, smirking. We both turned to watch the two basketball teams come out of the locker rooms. I looked at him in disbelief.

"Are you kidding?" I asked, smirking. "He doesn't like me like that. No one does." I added. I watched as the players passed the ball and they got basket after basket.

"I wouldn't say no one." He muttered. I turned and looked at him, confused. He just ignored my looks and watched the game. I frowned and watched the game, wondering what he was talking about. Was he possible saying that he- no that was impossible? Or was it?

About halfway through the game, Iggy came up to sit with up again, a large red spot on one of his cheeks. "I was slapped, twenty seven times!" He exclaimed to Josh, "Your pick-up lines suck!" Josh and I looked at each other and laughed at his idiocy.

I watched as the team flew across the floor, running plays, shooting, and blocking. I tried to concentrate on the whole team but my eyes kept following Fang. He was playing a lot rougher than usual and I thought that it might have had something to do with what I told him before.

I started to think of how I could get out of seeing Jeb tonight and trembled. I never wanted to see him again. Why didn't anyone understand that? I felt a warm hand cover mine and I looked over at Josh. He looked down at me, obviously worried, but didn't say a word. I turned my hand over and laced my fingers with his, smiling to myself. How can he make everything seem better with just one smile or by just holding my hand?

"You're staying at my house tonight." Fang said, as we walked back over to his car. Iggy had caught a ride home with Josh since they live on the same street so now it was just Fang and I.

"I am? Why didn't I know about this?" I asked, smiling slightly. Both of our moods were a little better after the game. He told me that playing basketball always calmed him down but I would never tell him that Josh was the one who helped me. I didn't think he needed to worry about me anymore than he already was.

"I just decided it."He said, smirking as we got into his car. "I'm not letting you go home to see him. He might try something again so now you can blame me for not being there."

"Okay, but what am I supposed to say when I go get my clothes and tell them I'm staying with you. They'll call the whole town if I'm not home by eleven."

Fang thought for a second as we pulled out of the parking lot. "Just say that I'm having a hard time with everything and that I want you here." He said, spilling out his brilliant plan.

"Fine, okay." I said, sighing. "So you played great." I said, trying to make small talk. I didn't want to sit in more silence.

"Thanks." He said, trying not to smile. "I thought we weren't going to win for awhile." He added, obviously meaning that they had played the team at the number one seat.

"Fang, you're too good not to win." I said, looking over at him. "You are going to go undefeated this year just like last season." I added, grinning at him.

"Thanks," He said again, this time not able to resist smiling. He glanced over at me and I smiled over at him. "How are you? Are you okay?" He asked and I knew what he meant.

"I'm fine." I said, thinking for a minute. "I'm just a little nervous. I really don't want to see him. Ella and my mom don't believe that there is a reason why I don't like him. They think it's just me being weird." I said, frowning.

"I can't believe you didn't tell them." He said, sighing. "He could be in jail right now but, no. Right now he is in your house."

"How do you know he's at my house?" I asked curiously. He pointed over at my driveway where a brand new black Audi was sitting. I groaned and looked over at him. "I'll be back." I said, getting out of the car as soon as he parked it. I jogged over to my house and threw the door open, trying to get out of the cold.

"Max?" My mom called from the kitchen. I took a deep breath and walked over, closing my eyes briefly, hoping that Jeb just decided to leave his car and go turn himself in but, no, he was there. He was there sitting at the table with my mother drinking coffee.

"I'm staying at Fang's house tonight." I said shortly, wanting to get right to the point.

"Why?" She asked curiosity thick in her voice. "You should really stay here tonight." She added, glaring over at me.

"Fang's still going through a lot, mom. He told me he needs me there." I said, lying through my teeth. I tried to make it sound as convincing as possible but I wasn't a very good liar; especially to my mother.

"Max," Another voice came from across the table. I turned and glared over at Jeb. He was looking at me sternly through his small glasses. I noticed that his dark hair had already started to turn gray. "I think you should stay. I'm only here for a few nights and I would really like to see more of you around here."

"Jeb," I croaked out, becoming more and more nervous, "You being here is just giving me all the more reason to go help my friend." I snarled.

"Max!" My mom gasped. "He is a guest in our house. Address him like one!" I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"I'm going to Fang's." I stated in a 'no questions asked' tone. I turned on my heel and sped out of the kitchen but not fast enough to hear Jeb bring up a conversation about how rude I was. I ran up to my room and grabbed a bag, shoving in some clothes, my toothbrush, and anything else I thought I would need. I grabbed my phone and raced back down the stairs, not bothering to say goodbye to my mom or Ella. I just opened the door and walked back into the cold.

I walked into Fang's house and shuddered as I took off my big winter jacket. I heard footsteps and watched as Fang came down the stairs and took my bag and jacket from me. "Thanks," I muttered as I kicked off my shoes by his door.

I followed Fang into the kitchen, where I saw Mr. Keyes at the stove. He turned around and smiled warmly when he saw me. "Hello, Max." He said, making me feel welcomed. "I didn't know you were staying over tonight." He added, looking over at Fang.

"Yeah, neither did I." I said, looking over at Fang also. He looked up from where he was putting my bag down and gazed at us confused.

"Why ya'll looking at me?" He asked in a southern accent. I smiled and crossed the room, sitting down at the breakfast bar.

"Hopefully you like tomato soup and grilled cheese." Mr. Keyes asked, turning back to the stove. "I figured it'd be nice to have on such a cold day." He added, glancing back at me.

"It sounds delicious." I said truthfully. I was still shivering from the cold. I felt warm, wiry arms around me and I looked at them, seeing the fabric of Fang's sweatshirt. He put his chin on the top of my head as his dad gave us two bowls of soup.

"So, Max?" Mr. Keyes said, sitting across from Fang and I. "How have you been? How is Ella?" I smiled. Even though he was tough, he always cared for Ella and me with all his heart.

"I'm doing great. Ella is too." I lied. I didn't need him to worry about us.

"So what made Fang want to invite you over here so quickly?" He asked, looking curiously at his son.

"Dad, please-"Fang started, looking at me apologetically.

"No, it's okay." I said, smiling at Fang. "Jeb came back into town for the rest of the week," I explained, "I don't think I'm ready to see him yet." I answered, grinning over at him. "Fang was nice enough to offer to let me stay over."

"Ah, Jeb," Mr. Keyes said, frowning. He never really liked Jeb and Jeb didn't like him. After their divorce, my mom and Mr. Keyes' relationship changed drastically. They were a lot closer than Jeb would have let them be otherwise. "Well, Max, you are welcome here as long as you want." He said, taking his soup and walking out of the room.

"Thank you." I called after him. I turned to Fang. "He seems so different." I whispered quietly.

"Ever since the funeral he's been trying to be a better father for me. I've told him a million times he's the best father I could ask for but he won't believe me." Fang explained, looking after his dad with a soft smile.

I smiled and looked down at my soup. I dipped a corner of my grilled cheese into my soup and took a bite, smiling as I felt its heat.

"Max?" Fang asked from next to me. I looked over and smiled at him. I nodded, egging him to go on. "Can I talk to you, seriously, for a minute?" I tried not to let my surprise show on my face but I nodded, a little scared about what was coming. What was he going to say next?

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That was the newest chapter! I tried to incorporate a lot into it so hopefully it was worth it!

So, review with your favorite song, the longest word you know, the ugliest animal you can think of, a cool name that I can use for my new fish, what color your hair is, or really anything else you feel you must tell me!


	13. Chapter 13

Hey people!

I loved all of your reviews! I didn't think that anyone would actually write answers to all of those random suggestions… if I keep putting them at the end, will you keep answering them?

I read a great story and it inspired me to write romance between Max and Fang. I know what is going to happen and I think that you'll really like it. There is some CRAZY, weird, awkward romance in this chapter but the REALLY romantic scenes that will make you giggle on the inside are coming soon and I'm really excited to write them.

Anyways, please read and enjoy!

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"Uh, yeah," I said, looking at him, confused. "What do you want to talk about?" I added, turning to face him.

"There's-"he started, taking a deep breath. "There's something I need to talk to you about. Actually, I really need to talk to you about it." He said, playing with his thumbs nervously.

"Uh, yeah," I said, looking at him carefully. "What is it?"

"Well, it's about what has been happening lately between us, and one specific thing." He said. I mentally groaned. Why was be avoiding the subject so much? What did he need to talk about?

"Fang, just tell me what is going on in that mind of yours." I said, chuckling to myself, thinking about what would really be going through his mind all the time.

"I guess you could say that I'm just nervous, and confused every time I'm around you." He said, looking at me, emotions filling his normally emotionless eyes. I stared at him in pure surprise. "What?" He asked once he saw my confused expression.

"Well, that isn't something a girl wants to hear from her best friend." I said, turning back to my soup. I took another bite out of the grilled cheese and inwardly sighed.

"What? No!" He said, turning my chair so I would face him. "It's not like that! It's… it's different." He exclaimed as if saying it louder would make me understand easier. "It's just that, I'm so confused about you, Max. You've been my best friend for years and I don't know what has been going on with us lately." He summed up, taking a deep breath afterwards.

"What has been going on with us lately?" I asked wondering what he meant. "What do you mean? There isn't that much different."

"Are you joking?" he asked, looking at me incredulously, his dark hair falling over his eyes. "Nothing between us is the same. Max, I'm scared to even be around you. I promised you, years ago, that I would never hurt you and I've broken that promise so many times lately."

I turned my chair to fully face him. This was what all of this was about? Why didn't he just come out with it in the first place? I reached out to him, letting my hand fall gently on his cheek. "Fang, why the hell would you even think about being scared?"

He put his hand over mind and looked at me with pain in his eyes. "Max! Do you even hear what you're saying?! I've hurt you mentally and physically so many times in the past few weeks that I'm really starting to lose count! I can't just let myself keep hurting you!" He practically screamed as he ripped my hand off of his cheek. I shied away from him and tried not to look too hurt.

I tried to say something but the words were frozen in my throat. I couldn't get a sound out. Instead, I just stood up, grabbed my empty soup bowl and brought it over to the sink. I placed it into the basin and took a deep breath before turning around.

"Look," I said, staring at him. "What's done is done. Things are different then they were a few days ago. Everything is different. You're going through a lot and you never let anyone help you. Fang, I really don't want to lose you but I think I am." I shot him a concerned expression before turning and walking out of the room and up the stairs.

I walked into Fang's room, seeing the familiar inky walls. I sat down on his bed and fell backwards, letting my head fall onto his black blanket. I closed my eyes and sighed, letting my mind wander. What was going on with Fang?

Sure, I knew that he was going through a lot but was that really an excuse to be acting like this? Why wouldn't he just let me into his life? I heard ringing and I opened my eyes, looking around. I saw Fang's phone on his dresser and I got up, walking over to it so I could turn the music off. I glanced down at it and felt my eyes widen. Suddenly, I was worrying more than I was five minutes ago. I read the small, lit-up screen and couldn't tear my eyes away from it.

"Max?" I heard Fang call. I attempted to put his phone down and turn to look at the door but I was frozen to the spot. "Max? What are you looking at?" He asked once he saw me standing motionlessly in front of his dresser. I felt my hands begin to shake and I dropped his phone clumsily.

"Why are you talking to Duncan?" I asked him, my voice shaking as I spoke. I turned around, hoping to find a confused face with a Fang wondering why someone like Duncan Burke would be talking to him but instead, all I saw was a smug and angry Fang, charging towards me.

"Why were you looking through my phone?" he asked, walking over and snatching it up off of the dresser and dropping it deep into his pocket. I just stared at him. "Max! Why were you going through my phone?" He said, louder than he originally had intended.

"I wasn't!" I said, defending myself. "It was ringing and I went to turn the ringtone off! Now tell me why you're talking to Duncan!?" I stared at him in disbelief.

"I'm not!" He said but I could tell he was lying through his teeth. "You read the name wrong!" He added, trying to make up excuses.

"Really? Then who was it, huh?" I said, crossing my arms over my chest. I didn't know why Fang was hiding everything.

"It was Sam." Fang said, probably picking the first person who came to his mind. I glared over at him and shook my head.

"You hate Sam. It wasn't him." I said simply, holding my hand out. "Let me see the name." I said, looking at him expectantly.

"No way," He said stubbornly. I narrowed my eyes and stepped closer to him. I thought for a second and let my face soften. I prepared myself for what I was going to do. Looking up at him, I stared straight at him, letting my eyes show determination. In one sweet motion, I grabbed the collar of his shirt and lifted myself up onto my toes. I looked up at him and closed my eyes, pressing my lips against his smoothly.

I felt him stiffen tremendously and I traced my fingers down his arms slowly. As I did, he became more and more relaxed. Once my hands reached his own, I grabbed them and moved them around my waist. The only thing I was thinking was that this needs to be convincing.

Sure, I knew that it was wrong to use kissing Fang as an excuse to get his phone but I was worried. I didn't want him to be talking to Duncan a.k.a the _most feared gang member around. _Deep inside, I knew that Fang wasn't actually going to join a gang. I knew it for a fact but still, the communication with such a dangerous person was _not_ good. That was a good enough excuse to practically use him… right?

I let my lips work against his softly as his hands tightened around my waist. I was drawn closer and I took the chance. Suddenly, I didn't want to get his phone as badly. I just wanted to kiss him forever. He slowly traced my bottom lip with his tongue and I opened my mouth, granting him access. I felt his warm, sweet breath fill my mouth and I gasped. I felt him pull back slightly and I let him slowly nibble my lip. He began to place hot kisses along my jaw. I heard him chuckle as I raised my hands up to his cheeks.

I let one hand climb into his hair while the other pushed his lips back up to mind. Soon, I was begging for more. My mind was shorting out and I understood why. Kissing Fang was like being on the biggest natural high imaginable. No matter how much I tried, I wasn't able to break away.

No, I shouldn't be doing this! I thought to myself. This is insane! I need to stop! I told myself. _Finish what you originally planned and stop._ A voice in the back of my mind told me. I, painstakingly, let one of my hands drop out of Fang's hair and I slowly traced it down his chest, feeling his abs underneath my fingers as I did so. I let it fall to one of the belt loops on his jeans and slowly reached down into his pocket without him suspecting a thing. I tried to concentrate on getting his phone but somehow, his lips kept getting in the way.

I felt the slim curve of his phone and I grabbed it, pulling it out of his pocket slowly. I tried to break away from Fang but he held onto me, kissing me passionately as we stood in the center of his dark room. I managed to break away from him just long enough for him to turn his head slightly and kiss my jaw. I felt him nibble it slightly and I held back a sigh.

Instead, I came back to my senses.

I opened my eyes immediately and panicked. What the hell was I doing? Why was I acting like I _wanted_ to kiss him? Did I actually want to kiss him? I leaned up to him, putting my lips next to his ear as he began to kiss my neck.

"Liar," I breathed, slightly out of breath. I forcefully turned away from him, putting my back to him. He stopped for a minute, and then saw that I had his phone in my hand. He lunged forwards to me and I tried to hold him off, searching through his phone for his inbox.

"Give it back to me!" He yelled anger clear in his voice. "Give it back to me now!" He shouted again.

I held out my arm, holding him away from him but once I saw what he was hiding, my whole body went limp. I let arms fall as I looked up at him, concern and hurt coursing through me. I watched him grab the phone out of my hand brutally and I slowly backed away from him.

"Are you going?" I asked, referring back to the text. It had talked about meeting Duncan and the rest of his group somewhere tonight. He said nothing. "Tell me! Are you going?!" I screamed at him, fighting back tears.

He straightened up and inhaled deeply, watching me back away from him. "I wasn't planning on it, but now I think I might." He snarled, glaring at me.

"You're right," I said as I backed out to the doorway. "Things are different with us." I finished turning and walking out of his room. As soon as he couldn't see me, I sprinted down the stairs and grabbed my bags. I shoved my feet into my sneakers and snatched my jacket off of the couch before sprinting out through the front door.

I ran over to my house and stepped in through the door, realizing that it wasn't locked. I walked straight in and raced up the stairs, ignoring the calls from my mom and Jeb. When had things gotten so messed up? I threw my bag across my room and collapsed onto my bed, letting the tears fall down my face. It happened, it finally happened. I lost him.

* * *

Let's just say that the next few days were the two things I never, ever wanted. Fang-free and Jeb-filled. Once Jeb left, all that was left was two whole weeks without saying one word to Fang. I tried to muster up the courage to talk to him but every time I did, I saw that he was talking to Duncan or one of his other followers. Once I see that, I promise myself I'll never talk to him again.

Everyone seemed to see differences in Fang. People pointed out that he wasn't talking to Iggy and I anymore and they always asked why. All we had to do was point in the direction of Fang and they would understand why we had no interest in talking to him anymore. If it wasn't for that last argument with him, none of this would have happened but I tried to protect him. I tried to protect him but the only thing I did was push him farther away.

"Max?" Iggy asked, gently shaking my hand. I looked up at him and tried to smile. The truth was that I couldn't. All I could think about Fang and what happened the day we fought. It had already been two weeks and we hadn't spoken one word to each other. "Max?" He said again, seeing that my mind was wandering.

I looked up at him, giving him my full attention. I was sitting in the mall food court with Iggy and Josh, just hanging out. Iggy and Josh had taken a liking to each other from the first moment they talked at the basketball game. They were usually out playing sports or just hanging when I called them. Josh and I had become closer and closer than we originally were. It was only two weeks but we were always together. Iggy snapped his fingers in front of my face and I apologized for not listening. He just shook his head and pointed behind me.

I turned and saw Sam standing there, looking down at me nervously. I faced him completely and smiled. "Hey, what's up?" I asked, motioning for him to sit down.

"Uh, nothing, well, not nothing, but" he stammered anxiously. I smiled, realizing how cute he was when he was nervous.

"Just spit it out!" Iggy called from behind me. I turned around to glare at him but saw him grinning from ear to ear.

"I'm getting another drink, anyone want one?" Josh said, disgust in his voice as his eyes fell on Sam for a minute. Iggy handed him his cup and Josh walked over to the soda machine, where he began to talk with some girls.

"Anyway," I muttered, glaring at Iggy before turning back to Sam, "What did you want to say?"

"Well, I was just thinking that maybe we could go to the Christmas dance together." He said, looking down at his hands. I smiled, remembering when I promised him that I would go. I paused for a moment. Did I really want to go? Chances were that it would be _very_ awkward considering that Fang was going to be there. I shook my head as flashes of memory of us kissing that day we fought flooded through my mind. "It's okay, I didn't think you would." Sam said, taking my silence as rejection.

I looked at him as he stood up and jolted, sitting straight up, "What time are you picking me up?" I asked, watching Sam stop in his tracks. He turned around and grinned widely, thinking for a second.

"I'll come at six thirty." He said, smiling. I nodded and offered a smile.

"Can't wait," I said, watching him sigh and walk off to the group of friends he came to the mall with. I turned back around and saw that both Iggy and Josh were staring at me like I was crazy. "What?" I asked, looking at them, confused.

"Did you seriously just say yes to him?" Iggy asked, looking between Josh and me, amazed.

"Yeah, I did. He's a great guy." I said, defending Sam easily. "Why?" I asked, suddenly curious to why they care so much.

Iggy just got up and laughed, patting Josh on the back. "Sorry dude, maybe next time." He said, picking up his soda and sucking the last few drops out of it, "I gotta go. I'll see you all in school."

I watched Iggy's retreating back until I couldn't see him anymore. I then turned to face Josh. "What was he talking about?" I asked, starting to get mad.

"I was, uh, I was going to ask you to the dance tonight." He answered, blushing slightly.

"Oh," I said, frowning. "I'm sorry. I promised Sam I would go with him." I added, hoping he would understand.

"It's okay. He asked you first. I was actually surprised that you didn't have a date already." He said, standing up and stretching out his back. "You ready to leave?" He asked, holding out his hand for me. I took it and stood up, nodding.

"You know, I would have said yes." I said, as we started walking to the doors. He gave me a confused look and I smiled, "If you asked me to the dance. I would have said yes." I clarified.

He smiled and looked down at me, warmly."Then I should have asked you before." He said, cautiously wrapping his arm around my waist. "Wait, if you promised you would go to this dance with him, then I think you're going to prom with me." He exclaimed, turning and looking at me.

I smiled and let out a laugh, "I was waiting for that."

"Is that a yes?" He asked as we started to walk again.

"That's a definitely."

A smile crept across his face as we walked through the doors of the mall. I felt the cool December air blow past me and I smiled. I made the mistake of looking to my left at the group of guys standing against the wall. They were the normal group of guys who hung out there a lot but one of them was different. One of them just didn't seem to fit in there. I met his deep russet eyes and felt a rush of familiarity- of remembrance- of Fang. He straightened up and started at me, his eyes traveling down to Josh's arm around my waist. I let my own eyes wander. He looked so, unfamiliarly, different.

I felt Josh pull me forwards and I went with him, walking over to his vehicle, splashing through the shallow puddle in the crevices of the road. "Are you okay?" He asked, looking at me as he started the engine of his truck. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

I looked over at him and sighed, "I think I have. I really think I have."

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So, that was chapter… thirteen? I'm really not too happy with it considering that is it absolutely CRAZY! If you readers don't like it either I'm probably going to end up rewriting it. I was debating adding in a scene with Ella at the very end but I decided that it's going into the next chapter.

Anyways, review and tell me suggestions, concerns, predictions, critiques, letters of hatred, or praise!


	14. Chapter 14

Yo! I'm sorry about the late update--- again! I think that I'm just going to have to start having a weekly update on Sundays 'cause it's the only time I have to write!

I am seriously starting to wonder why all of you like this story so much! I've never gotten a flame before… is that a good sign?

Disclaimer- I do not own Maximum Ride or anything associated with it. Nor do I own the song added in (I know the song is pretty old but it makes things funnier: D)

Chapter Fourteen!

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"Max! Will you hold still?" Ella shrieked at me as I struggled to loosen her grasp on my hair. It was the night of the Christmas dance and she decided that she was going all out on my hair and make-up. I reluctantly agreed as long as she didn't go overboard. Big mistake.

She had already lined my eyes with navy-blue eyeliner and added black mascara and pale blue eye shadow. She glossed up my lips with some sticky stuff and then decided to move onto my hair. Apparently she really wanted me to look good for Sam.

"I'll keep moving if you don't stop pulling my hair!" I grunted, pulling my hair out of her hands and rubbing my scalp. "You are so violent sometimes!" I exclaimed.

"Sorry," She murmured, gently lifting my hair again and running the curling iron through it. "I'm just really happy you said I could help you get ready." She said, shooting me a sheepish grin. I felt my face soften and I smiled over at her. She could be great when she wanted to.

"Why wouldn't I want my sister helping me?" I asked, smiling over at her. "I just can't wait until next year when I get to dress you up and do your make-up!" I grinned, looking up at her.

"Uh," She said hesitantly, "Do you have to do my make-up? I think you might poke my eyes out!" She said, laughing at the thought. I tried to picture me doing her hair and putting on mascara and then accidentally poking her in the eye or painting a black line down her face.

"Well, maybe not the make-up," I said, thinking about it for a minute. "But I'm helping you pick out the dress!" I exclaimed, grinning evilly.

I really didn't like to dress up for fancy occasions but when I had to, I didn't really mind. Sometimes it was nice just to feel elegant and beautiful for a change. I was actually happy with how I was looking tonight.

My hair was falling into large ringlets as Ella curled it slowly. The top layers of it were up in a messy knot so the curls were falling down my shoulders. My eyes looked smoky, yet light and crisp and the gold in them was shining brightly.

"I'm done!" Ella exclaimed, standing back to admire her work. I twirled in the office chair I was sitting in and looked at myself in the mirror.

"Wow, Ells," I said, gaping at the girl I saw in the mirror. She didn't look like anyone I knew. "I look-"I stuttered, becoming speechless.

"You look amazing." She said, grinning widely. "All thanks to me." She added, looking over at me smugly. "Now go get your dress on before Sam gets here. I stood up and smiled at her, hugging her before leaving her room and walking down the hallway into mine. I walked over to my closet and slid my sapphire dress off of the hanger. I walked back to the middle of the room and changed, tearing my sweats off but sliding the dress on effortlessly.

I smoothed out the wrinkles in the dress and smiled to myself as I felt the silky material. I adjusted the straps on my shoulders and tugged the bottom down awkwardly. I was a little mad at Ella for convincing me to get such a short dress but, hey, I was only going to wear it once, right? I crossed my room and looked at my reflection in the mirror and gaped at what was staring back at me.

A gorgeous girl, dressed in a satiny, royal blue dress that went down slightly above her knees. The neckline was just in the right place to fit her body perfectly and the back of the dress swooped down into magnificent folds, reaching her lower back. A necklace with a single pearl sat on her neck, in between her clavicles and two pearl bracelets graced her right wrist.

I heard a knock on the door and I jumped, tearing my eyes from the mirror. I looked over at the door and frowned. "Come in!" I called, preparing myself for what was going to happen next. I watched as the door swung open and two people walked in, immediately bursting into squeals.

"Oh my gosh! Max you look amazing!" Ella almost screamed, "I'm glad you went with that dress. The white one would have been totally wrong for that hairstyle and you probably would have gotten punch or something on it anyway!" She rambled, walking over and fixing up points in my hair and make-up what may have gotten messed up when I put the dress on.

"Honey, you look gorgeous." My mom said, walking over and looking at me in the mirror. I smiled and felt her hands on my shoulders. I looked down at my feet, trying not to blush. I was never told that I was beautiful or gorgeous except by Fang but… but now, that was impossible. I tried to change my train of thought to something else- anything else but nothing seemed to help. My mind just went back to him. I shook my head slightly and heard sniffling behind me.

"Excuse me, sweetie," my mom said, covering her eyes with one hand and smiling over at me weakly. "You just look so amazing." I smiled warmly and broke away from Ella's grip, walking over to my mom and giving her a hug. "I'll be downstairs." She said once I let her go. She took one last look at me and shook her head, smiling.

"You know, you are going to make everyone's heads turn!" Ella said looking through my mess of a closet for the shoes we had bought to go with the dress. "You'll look ten million times better than Lissa!" She pointed out. I snorted and shook my head. Lissa was probably going to walk in the doors in a gorgeous floor length gown and steal away everyone's attention. It's not that she wanted the attention; she just got it no matter what she did. Ah, the joys of being popular.

"I doubt it," I said skeptically. "I bet a lot of other girls will look a hundred times better than me but that's okay."

"Sure," Ella said, looking up at me, unable to believe what she was hearing. "You keep thinking that." I frowned down at her and sighed. She would never see things my way. I was a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl. Not one that dresses up for every little occasion. I was hardly ever happy with how I looked but today was a day where I was completely amazed. Ella came over to me and dropped the box of shoes down by my feet. I bent down to get them but she shot me a glance, telling me to stay where I was. She hopped onto the floor and took the pure white high heels out of the box and slid them on me, tying the long white ribbons attached to them up my calves. For a minute, I really felt like Cinderella.

"I'm sorry," Ella said suddenly, looking up at me and stopping what she was doing instantly.

"About what?" I asked, genuinely confused. I had no idea what she could possibly be sorry about. She didn't do anything wrong.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe something happened with you and Jeb. I'm sorry I made him come here and I'm sorry I made you see him." She said, avoiding my gaze and going back to lacing the other ribbon around my leg. I gave her a questioning look and I guess she felt my gaze in the back of her head because she continued, "I know why you don't like him. He tried to…" She drifted off in thought and I felt my eyes widen.

"What!?" I exclaimed, mentally punching myself for not telling my mom what had happened. "What did he do?" I asked urgently, helping her up to her feet.

"He-"

"Max! Ella!" My mom yelled, cutting her off. She opened her mouth to speak again but my mom's voice sounded from the stairs. "Sam's here! Get your butts down here!"

I looked at the door and back at Ella, deciding that I wasn't going until we talked about this. She just stepped forwards and gave me a tight hug. "Just go," She said, smiling. "We'll talk about it when you get back. Have a good time!" She grinned, backing away from me. I gave her a smile and starting walking to the door. "And Max?" She said. I turned and looked at her before leaving my room.

"Yeah?" I asked, grinning at my sister.

"You look like a princess." She said, her smile growing into a full blown grin. I smiled and walked over to her again, hugging her tightly once more. Today was like a turning point. Ever since what happened, Ella and my relationship had been strained and was really starting to disappear. We would never talk to each other or really acknowledge each other. I let go and smiled.

"Thank you."

"Max! Come on! Sam is waiting!" I heard my mom shout from the stairs again. I frowned, glaring over at the door.

"Way to go, mom," I muttered, walking over to the door. "Ruin the sister-bonding time why don't you!" I gave Ella one last wave before walking down the hallway and down the stairs.

"I'm here, I'm here!" I said as I turned the corner and walked into the living room where my mom and Sam were sitting. As soon as he heard my voice, Sam stood up awkwardly, straightening out his tie roughly. I stood in front of Sam and I felt my eyes widen. Man, that boy really could clean up!

Instead of his usual baggy jeans and tee shirt, he was wearing a black formal tuxedo. His chestnut hair was messy around his head and fell in front of his hazel eyes. He had a white shirt on underneath his black jacket and a dark blue tie to match my dress. For once, I was glad that the school makes us get really dressed up for these dances. Sam looked amazing. I blinked a few times, realizing that I was staring. I forced my eyes away from what he was wearing and looked up at his face. His eyes were open wide and his mouth was slightly open but I saw the corners of it turning up into a slow grin. I smiled and took a few steps forwards.

"You look-"He started, shaking his head, at a loss for words. "You look absolutely beautiful." He gasped, looking up from my dress to my eyes. I saw a special shine in his eyes and I smiled. I stepped forwards so I was standing next to him and he gently put his arm around my waist. With the high heels on, I was almost his height. He was still about an inch and a half taller than me though. I glanced over at my mom, who was smiling at Sam. I guessed that she approved of him or something. I grabbed my jacket and slid it over my shoulders, staying by Sam's side the whole time.

"Wait!" My mom called right as we reached the door. "I need pictures!" She exclaimed, tearing the room apart for a camera. She found my digital camera sitting on the table and held it up, waiting to take a picture.

"Oh, come on!" I frowned, "It's not like its prom or anything!" I said, groaning.

"One picture, Maxie! You two just look so cute together! I can't believe you didn't say yes to this boy sooner!" She exclaimed. I looked over at Sam, who was blushing. I smiled, realizing how cute he was.

"Just one picture," He whispered in my ear. His breath tickled my neck and I smiled. I turned around in his arms and felt his grip tighten around my waist. We posed in crazy ways for about five minutes as my mom pretended to be a fashion photographer, running around the room snapping pictures from different angles with different light effects. She finally lowered the camera and I let out a sigh of relief. I felt Sam's arms around me and I smiled, looking down at our intertwined feet. We started to turn to leave when I felt his kiss my cheek softly. I blushed furiously and smiled, looking up at him. I saw a bright flash of light from next to me and saw my mom looking at the screen of the camera. I frowned and let Sam drag me out through the door, chuckling softly.

We left the house and made it to his car in all of two minutes. I climbed into his truck and smiled as he opened and closed the door for me. "I'm sorry about all the pictures." I said, smiling at him apologetically. "I didn't know she was going to go all out with them."

"It's fine." He said as he starting the engine. "Now I know where you get your personality from." He said simply. I smiled at him and looked down at my fingers, inspecting the pearly white nail polish thoroughly. "But I do want a copy of that last picture, though." He said, looking at me as we pulled out of my driveway.

"I think that can be arranged." I said, smiling sweetly at him before looking out the window. I saw two people exiting Fang's house and I felt my heart constrict. I saw Fang, clad in a black tux and red tie, with his arm around Lissa, kissing her cheek roughly. She was giggling in her light pink, flowing gown. What did I tell 'ya? She draws attention from everyone!

"She has nothing on you." Sam said from beside me. I twisted my head and looked at him, confusion masking my face. She glanced over at my and smirked, letting his gaze fall back on the road. "Lissa; she has nothing on you. She may look nice when she dresses up but, Max, no matter what you're wearing, you always look stunning." He said, turning slightly to face me as we hit a red light. I blushed and looked down at my hands again.

"Are you kidding? She looks amazing and I just look like… me." I said, trying to think of the right words to describe how I was looking.

"And you think that looking like you is a bad thing?" Sam asked incredulously. "Max, girls should envy you! You are the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my entire life!" He exclaimed, looking down at me, his eyes shining.

"You really think so?" I asked in denial.

"There is no doubt in my mind." He replied, stepping on the gas once more. I smiled to myself. He thinks I'm beautiful? I wondered why I cared so much about Sam liking me. Sure, he was a great, cute, smart, funny guy but was he really _that_ perfect. The voice in the back of my head answered that for me. Yes. He was perfect. Perfect for me, at least.

I turned to face him and for the rest of the trip to the school, we talked about what we thought the dance was going to be like. Every dance was always different so everyone was always surprised. I was pretty excited considering that this was actually my first high school dance. Sure, I'd been to high school parties before but dances? No way.

We arrived at the school to see the lights in only one room and the hallway leading to it ablaze. I could hear the music from outside as Sam helped me out of his truck. Around us, couples were meeting up with their friends and waiting for other people before going into the party since once they went in, they wouldn't want to come back out. I gently stretched out my ankles and sighed, high heels were way too hard to walk in. Sam chuckled at my obvious trouble in walking in them and put his arm around my waist. I moved slightly closer to him and grinned, actually really happy that I had agreed to go with him.

"Sam!" A voice called out from behind us. Sam turned his head and once he saw who it was, he grinned.

"Hey Ig!" He shouted. I turned around immediately and smiled when I saw Iggy. He was in the usual black tux except he had a bright pink collared shirt on underneath it and a tie with Santa Claus on it. Typical Iggy.

"Oh. My. God!" Iggy said once his eyes rested on me. I watched him look at every inch of me, preparing for jokes about me in a dress, and I fidgeted awkwardly. "Max! You look hot!" He exclaimed, earning a smack in the head by his date, Tess. I blushed and smiled over at him. I looked over at Tess and my mouth almost dropped. She was one of the tomboy-ish girls in the school and she was wearing a gorgeous forest green dress that went down to her knees with a plunging neck line. She walked over to me and I gave her a hug, complimenting her on how amazing she looked.

"Come here, you!" Iggy said, holding his arms out to me once I was done hugging his date. "You know I get the first dance, right?" He said, winking. I laughed and took a step over to him, hugging him tightly. He put his arms around my waist and swayed slightly as he squeezed me so much I almost couldn't breathe. He loosened his grip and smiled. "Is he okay?" He whispered in my ear, obviously talking about Sam.

"He's perfect." I replied, breaking away from Iggy and looking over at Sam, who was talking with Tess. "He's absolutely perfect." I repeated, smiling to myself.

"Good." Iggy said, nodding over to Sam. "You deserve to have some fun." I smiled and we walked back over to out dates. Sam enveloped me into his arms and Iggy took Tess by the hand as we walked over to the school.

"Max! Sam! Tess! Iggy!" A shrill voice called out right before we entered the building. We all turned around and saw Lissa dragging Fang over to us by the arm. Iggy looked over at me nervously but I nodded. "Oh my gosh, Max! You look amazing!" Lissa said, taking my hands and spinning me around. I smiled and laughed.

"Thanks. I've been hearing that a lot today." I said, looking at her gently. She really was a sweet girl. "You look great too." I said, admiring her dress.

"Thank you! Fang helped me pick out the dress." She said, looking over at her date. I glanced over at him and expected to meet his eyes but I saw him looking me up and down. I shifted awkwardly as his gaze traveled over my dress and down my legs to my heels.

Sam put a protective arm around me and a smiled at him. Iggy walked in front of me, turning me around and pushing me inside, "We'll see you guys inside!" He said over his shoulder as Tess followed us, confused. I told her quickly that I would tell her what happened later. We all burst through the doors to the school and we hung up out jackets on some of the racks outside the gym. We handed the teachers at the door our tickets and walked into the room, seeing most of the school swaying along to the music.

There were streamers and balloons everywhere, all resembling Christmas colors. In all for corners of the gym, there were giant trees, decorated and lit up brilliantly. I looked up and saw three disco balls hanging from the ceiling in the shape of a triangle. Leave it to our student council to throw an amazing dance.

"I'm going to go request a song!" Iggy shouted over the music, leaving Tess with us and racing up over to DJ. I smirked, wondering what song he would request. We stood around talking for a few minutes, waiting for Iggy to come back. About five minutes later, he came back, grinning from ear to ear. We all looked at him questioningly until a new song blasted over the speakers.

_Soulja boy I tell 'em. Hey I got a new dance fo you all called the soulja boy._

We all looked at Iggy in disbelief. "Do you know how old this song is?" I shouted over the beginning of the song.

"Yeah, but it's the only dance I know!" He yelled back, grinning. Tess shook her head and looked at me, laughing as the guys went onto the dance floor to join the rest of the school in doing to dance to the song.

"Come on!" Tess shouted to me, "Let's go outside!" I nodded and we fought our way outside to the commons. We sat on the ledges by the flower beds and I looked over at her. "Those boys are insane!" She said, finally able to speak in a normal voice.

"I know. I can't believe Ig would really request that song." I pondered, looking up at the stars. "He is so weird." I said, chuckling.

"Hey! That's my date you're talking about!" She said, trying her best in keeping a straight face. I smirked as she thought about it. "But you're right. He is really weird. Amazing, but weird." I smiled at the love stuck expression on her face and shook my head. "So do you really like Sam?" She asked, sitting down next to me.

"I think so." I admitted, looking over at her. "He is just so great and I haven't realized it until now. I guess other things have just been getting in my way of realizing it."

"Other things like Fang?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at me. I opened my mouth to say something but she interrupted. "Before you go off denying things, what happened with you guys? You two were so close… inseparable even!" I sighed, trying to remember the whole story.

"Well, we were getting into fights all the time after the funeral. Things got so crazy that he even… he even hit me once. That was where all of the rumors of Iggy and I started." I explained, ignoring her worried looks. "Then, about two weeks ago, I thought that he was getting involved with Duncan Burke. I did something totally insane and I got his phone and I saw that he was talking to Duncan. Ever since then, we don't talk, we don't look at each other, and we don't acknowledge each other unless we absolutely have to."

She took a deep breath, taking my whole explanation in. "If you don't mind me asking," She started, looking at me curiously, "What did you do that was so insane?" my eyes widened as I thought about what happened that day in his room.

"I, uh," I stuttered, looking away from her. "I kind of kissed him… a lot to distract him while I grabbed his phone." I admitted, looking at the ground.

"Are you serious!?" She squealed, looking over at me. She jumped up and began hopping up and down. "How was it? Did he kiss you back? Did you like it? How long was it?" She exclaimed, torturing me with all the questions.

"Uh, yeah, it was fine," I said dully, trying to think back. "He kissed me back a lot. It was, well, it was amazing but I wish that it actually meant something to him. I don't remember how long it was. There were breaks where he would just kiss my jaw and stuff like that." I added. It was so easy to talk to Tess about things. She was one of my best friends so I felt comfortable around her.

"Did you feel any sparks?" she asked calmly, sitting down next to me again.

"Yeah," I said, thinking back to the kiss."I did. I felt so much more than sparks though." I added, raising my hand up to my cheek.

_I just wanted to kiss him forever. He slowly traced my bottom lip with his tongue and I opened my mouth, granting him access. I felt his warm, sweet breath fill my mouth and I gasped. I felt him pull back slightly and I let him slowly nibble my lip. He began to place hot kisses along my jaw. _

I drew in a deep breath and closed my eyes, dropping my hand down to my jaw and letting it fall onto my lap. "To me, it sounds like you really like him." She said, grabbing my hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

"What?" I asked, opening my eyes immediately. "I can't! I haven't talked to him in weeks and I can't feel that way about my best friend!" I exclaimed, frowning at the thought.

"Well, you still call him your best friend, so maybe there's hope." She said wisely, making me feel stupid.

"Yeah, maybe there is hope." A voice said. I looked over Tess's shoulder and saw Fang, dressed in all black, coming up behind her. I felt different emotions fill my heart. Tess turned her head, looking at Fang carefully. She turned back to me and saw me keeping a steady gaze with Fang.

"I'll let you two talk." She said, standing up and straightening out her dress. I watched her walk inside but she stopped at the door, leaning against the wall inside the school. I held back a sigh of relief. She wasn't leaving me completely alone with him. I stood up, wobbling slightly on my high heels and faced Fang, who had stepped forward.

"What do you want?" I asked coldly, trying not to melt as I stared into his eyes.

He ignored my comment and stared straight into my eyes. "You look absolutely beautiful tonight." He whispered, a smile playing on his lips. "Well, you look beautiful every day but you look especially, uh," He rambled nervously, blushing slightly. I have him a questioning look and frowned. What was he playing at?

"What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to keep a straight face as his cheeks flushed. He looked down and sighed, closing his eyes slowly for a few seconds. I waited for him to look back up at me.

"Look, I'm so-"

"Max! There you are!" A voice from behind me yelled. I turned and saw Iggy rushing towards me with Sam and Tess on his heels. Tess looked like she was trying to get them to stop and I was grateful for her to try but there was no stopping Iggy. I sighed, wishing I was able to talk to Fang longer. "Come on! We were missing you!" He said, grabbing my hand. I dug my heels into the ground and held eye contact with Fang.

"Max." He tried to say again, but this time it wasn't Iggy who interrupted him.

"Yo, Fang!" A deep voice boomed from the door. I turned and saw Duncan stride down to Fang and sling an arm around him. "What are you doing out here, man? The party's inside! Have you seen some of these chicks?" Fang's eyes glanced over to Duncan but then shifted back to me. "Speaking of chicks…" Duncan trailed off, dropping his arm off of Fang and walking towards me. He wrapped one arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. I tried to push him away but he just tightened his grip.

"Let go of her." Iggy growled, jumping in between Duncan and I. Tess grabbed my arm and pulled me back. I fell back, falling into Sam. He wrapped his arms around me gently and I buried my face in his chest. I wasn't sure of what was going on around me but I did hear the sound of a punch being thrown. I turned around, expecting it to be Iggy but instead, I saw Fang holding Duncan by his collar, his fist flying across his jaw. I felt my eyes widen as Duncan fought back.

"Yo! Fang! What are you doing?" Duncan grunted, feeling the blood that was flowing down from his nose and lip. "I'm not the enemy! She is!" He exclaimed, pointing to me. I felt like someone stabbed me through the heard as Fang nodded, _agreeing_ with Duncan. "Let's leave these freaks." He said, grabbing Fang's arm forcefully and pulling him away from us. I caught Fang's eye one last time before he turned completely and jogged after Duncan, joining their dates on the other side of the commons.

"Come on, Maxie." Iggy said, leading me inside. I shuddered and looked over at Sam, seeing fear in his eyes. Tess frowned and grabbed my hand, giving me a reassuring smile.

"I don't know what's going on," Sam said, walking in front of me. I stopped in front of him and looked at him curiously. "But I want you to know that nothing is stopping me from being here as long as you need me." He finished. I felt my heart drop and I reached up, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you." I murmured, talking into his shirt. I broke away to face him and felt a tear fall down my cheek.

"Hey, hey, don't cry. It's okay." He whispered, wiping away the tear with his thumb. I nodded and hugged him again.

"Come on, Max, dance with us." Tess said, smiling at me warmly. "It'll help take your mind off of things." I smiled and wiped my eyes, looking back outside. I was surprised to see that Duncan and Fang had moved over to the spot where we just had been. Fang was staring at me though the glass doors. I glanced at him just in time to see him mouth, 'I'm sorry'. I shook my head and let Tess take my hand, leading me onto the dance floor.

Iggy and Sam both followed us through the sea of people to the middle of the dance floor so that we were surrounded by people. Tess dropped my hand and grinned as we started to dance, swaying our hips along with the music. I cracked a smile as Iggy started to dance outrageously. He smiled once he saw me smiling and then put his hands gently on Tess's hips, moving with her. I turned around, coming face to face with Sam.

"Hey." He said, smiling. I grinned and started to dance with him, letting the beat of the music take me away. Song after song played and I felt like I could dance all night. I turned around, looking to face Sam and I gasped when I realized how close we were. He smiled and hesitantly leaned down, pressing his lips against mine and wrapping his arms around my waist. I grinned into his lips and slowly moved my arms up around his neck.

At that moment, everything was perfect.

At that moment, I felt nothing could go wrong.

At that moment, I was kissing Sam and it felt _right_.

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So, that was chapter fourteen, the dance! I really hoped you liked it!

Two things…

1. I know that Josh wasn't in that chapter… I don't want to go back into it and add him 'cause I like it the way it is.

2. THIS IS A FAX STORY!!! Before all of you review saying "Please don't make this a Sax story! I thought it was Fax!" IT IS FAX!!! THIS IS ALL PART OF THE PLOT!!! THEY WILL GET TOGETHER EVENTUALLY!!!

Anyway, review and tell me how you liked it :D


	15. Chapter 15

Hey everyone! I'm trying to update faster so hopefully this works!

I just want to thank all of your readers for all of the reviews! On every chapter I keep getting more and more. It's amazing and really a huge ego booster.

So, Fang is very OOC this chapter. Well, he's OOC every chapter but especially this one. Just a warning.

Disclaimer- I do not own Maximum Ride, Narnia, Barney, or anything else that may or may not be mentioned in this chapter.

Kaythanks ;) --(You got me saying it! You know who you are! ;)

* * *

"How was it?" Ella asked. I jumped, not realizing that she had entered my room. I looked up at her, sitting up on my bed. "Did you have fun?" She asked again, taking a seat next to me.

"It was…" I said, struggling to find words to describe the night I had just gone through. "It was absolutely amazing." I said, moving over and crossing my legs Indian style.

"So how was your date with Sam?" She asked, smirking as she nudged me in the ribs. I involuntarily blushed and frowned, thinking about the night.

"It was great." I said, smiling at the thought of Sam. "He really is a sweet guy." I added, thinking about the kiss we shared on the dance floor.

"So, do you really like him?" she asked, leaning closer and lowering her voice as if it were a big secret.

"Why are you asking so many questions?" I laughed, grinning to myself. She gave me a look that said 'tell me or I'll tickle it out of you', causing me to laugh even harder. I calmed myself down enough to answer her. "Yeah, I like him. I'm not sure how much though."

She grinned, looking at me carefully, "Enough to go on a second date?" She said, wiggling her eyebrows carelessly. "I mean, you two are really cute together. I like the idea of you two going out." She added, daydreaming.

I thought for a second. Did I really like him enough to keep on dating him? Or was it just a one-time thing? I frowned, thinking about things. "You know what?" I asked, looking at her yet seeing right through her. "I like that idea, too." I said, a careless smile played on my lips as I fell back onto my bed. I let my head hang off the side of it and thought about Sam. Who knew that after all this time; he'd be the one I fall for? I sure didn't.

"So what happened? I want to hear everything!" Ella said, turning over to lie on her stomach next to me. She balanced her head on her hands and looked down at me. "Who did you see? What was it like? What did you and Sam do?"

I looked up at her in surprise. She was never this talkative; I thought that she spent too much time with Nudge… before the accident. I smiled and closed my eyes, replaying the night in my head. "It was amazing. We got there and met up with Iggy and Tess- she looked beautiful." I added, thinking about what she looked like. I wiggled my toes and stretched out my legs, which were now clad in baggy sweatpants. After Sam left the house after the dance, I immediately changed into a tank top and sweats. I didn't even wait to get out of those heels. By the end of the night my feet were killing me so I just stuck on my old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles slippers. I was going for comfort.

"The gym was decorated with the school colors and it had a bunch of disco balls," I said, summing up what it all looked like. "Iggy decided to request that one Soulja Boy song since it's, apparently, the only dance he knows." I said, laughing at the memory.

"Really?" she asked, smiling at the thought of Iggy dancing. Let's just say that that boy is _not_ graceful. At all. "Did you dance to it? Do you even know the dance?" She asked, furrowing her brow.

"No," I said, laughing at the idea of me doing the dance in three-inch heels. "Tess and I went out to the gardens while Sam and Iggy danced. We saw…" I trailed off, wondering if I really wanted to tell her what happened. I guess that it was a little too late now anyway.

"Saw who?" She asked, seeing the pain fall onto my face. I sighed and looked up at her.

I barely squeaked out, "Fang," before her eyes widened with surprise and confusion.

"I thought you two weren't talking, what happened? What'd he say?" She interrogated, staring down at me. I rolled my eyes, knowing that she was going to ask a lot of questions. I tried to remember exactly what happened and, for once, Ella was being patient for my answer. Usually, she was the one who would rather die than wait for someone to say something.

"Well, I was talking to Tess and I ended up saying something like 'maybe there's hope for us to be friends', or something like that." I said, frowning as I tried to remember. Ella just sat there, her deep brown eyes boring into mine. "Then he came up behind Tess and said something like 'yeah, maybe there is hope'. Then she left us to talk; he told me that I looked beautiful and then…" I trailed off, yet again.

"Then what?!" Ella almost screamed, jumping up onto her hands and knees. "What happened!?" She screamed this time. I jumped up and slapped my hand over her mouth halfway through her statement.

"Shut up!" I whisper-shouted at her. "You'll wake mom up! She has to get up early tomorrow morning!" I said, uncovering her mouth. She took an over-exaggerated deep breath and blushed, sitting back and leaning against my headboard. I shook my head. If she woke up our mom, we'd be in trouble with a capital't'.

"Okay, okay!" She said, putting her arms around her knees and holding them close to her chest. "So what happened?" she asked seriously, keeping a straight face as I thought.

"Then Duncan Burke came," I said, frowning slightly. I heard her gasp slightly as she quickly took in a breath. "He was trying to hit on me but Iggy and Sam jumped in just in time, but Fang, he, uh, grabbed Duncan by the collar and started punching him." I looked down at my fingers and played with them nervously. I could almost sense Ella's surprise.

I expected her to completely freak out and scream about what happened but all I heard was the wind outside. "He really loves you." She muttered, looking over at me with a thoughtful expression on her face. My head shot up, my eyes homing in on hers.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, looking at her with pure confusion on my face.

"Well," She said, stalling nervously. "Back before… the accident, you and Fang were really starting to spend a lot of time together. Alone." She said, looking at me like I was about to tackle her. "Nudge and I began to think that maybe you two were more than just friends. We thought that you two liked each other 'cause we were sure that Fang liked you." She said, looking at me carefully.

"What are you talking about? Fang doesn't like me. Fang didn't like me. Fang has never liked me like that!" I almost screamed. She held her hands up, gesturing for me to calm down. I took a few deep, even breaths and listened for her to continue.

"Well, we knew he liked you and we thought that you two were definitely going to get together. I mean, I know you like him too, and don't try to deny it either." She said right as I opened my mouth to do just that. "I know what went on with you two a couple times after the accident." She added, looking at me with a smile.

"What? What are you talking about?" I asked quickly, not doing too well in covering things up.

"That morning that you were crying," She answered, "When I was on my way back from the bathroom, I heard you and Fang talking and once I got to my room I sat down for a few minutes but then realized that I still had to pee," She rambled, not getting to the point, "Anyways, I walked back to the bathroom and saw you two in your room. I saw him kiss you." She concluded. I felt my eyes widen and I frowned. "And you kissed back."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, becoming angrier by the moment. "It was all a mistake. An accident." I said, trying to make my point.

"Max, I may not be in high school but I'm not stupid." She said in a 'duh' tone. "I know it was real. It wasn't just a flimsy, oh-my-gosh-we're-so-sad kind of kiss. I saw the look in his eyes and the look in yours." She said, sounding way beyond her years. I was amazed that she matured this fast.

"Ells?" I asked, looking at her thoughtfully. She looked at me and nodded, egging me on. "I really underestimated you." She smiled and blushed slightly.

"That's the day you fell for him, right?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at me. "The day you saw her text?" I nodded, not trusting myself to say anything. I felt kind of ashamed, seeing that Ella saw all of this before I did. She may be younger than I am, but sometimes she was a lot smarter. "Why didn't you ever tell him!?" She exclaimed after a minute of silence.

I felt my head snap up to look at her. "What are you talking about? I can't just tell my best friend that I fell for him!" I said angrily. "It would just be weird and it would make things awkward since he doesn't feel the same way!" I added, trying to get my point across.

"How would you know that he doesn't feel the same way about you?" She asked, looking at me with a hidden smile on her face. I felt my cheeks heat up as I stared at her.

"He doesn't. He told me he liked some girl in his Forensics class; probably Lissa or something." I said, frowning at the thought of Fang and Lissa getting together.

"Well, Max," She began, a smug smile on her lips, "Aren't _you_ in his Forensics class?" She sat up and grinned, her eyes lighting up as realization dawned on me.

"You can't seriously think that _Fang_ would ever like _me_." I said once I regained my composure. "Don't you think he would have at least dropped some kind of hint if he did?" I added, glancing over at my window.

"Are you blind?!" Ella practically screamed. I shushed her before she went on, "Max, he's always with you, I've seen him kiss you at least once already, he always worries about you, he never stops looking at you, you are the only one he talks to…" she trailed off, letting me interrupt her.

"He talks to you!" I said in my defense, "and mom, and Iggy, and his dad!"

She sighed and gave me a 'you-are-so-stupid' look. "Have you ever seen him talk to me, Iggy, his dad, or mom about anything important? Like how he's feeling or what's going on with his life?" She pointed out and I shook my head. "He only talks about these things with you because he trusts you with his life." She went on, making me feel more and more stupid by the second. I glanced over at my window again, hearing a crash. Ella seemed to have noticed me not listening. "What? What are you looking at?"

"You didn't hear that?" I asked, standing up and walking over to my window. "I just heard a bang outside. I heard one before, too." I opened my window and stuck my head outside. I had taken out the screen a few years ago so it'd be easier to sneak out. Ella jumped up behind me and looked outside from behind me.

"Did you see that?" She asked, pointing down at the road. Since my window was at the front of the house, we were able to see the street from it. I looked up and saw a car speeding down the road, leaving someone outside.

"Max!" The person outside yelled, looking up at my window. "Maxie! Are you there?" They slurred.

"Oh my god!" I shouted, leaving my window and running to my door. I shoved my boots on my feet and threw on a sweatshirt.

"Is that Fang?" Ella asked, looking back at me from the window. I nodded and sprinted down the hallway and down the stairs, trying not to wake my mom up. I heard Ella's heavy, boot-clad footsteps behind me and I mentally thanked myself for staying up this late. I opened the door slowly, trying not to make too much noise considering that it was almost three in the morning.

I went around the side of the house and almost walked straight into Fang, who was still looking up at my window. "Fang!" I said, holding my arms up just in time for him to trip. "Fang, what are you doing out here?" I grunted under his weight. I felt some of the weight lift off of me and I smiled at Ella as we balanced him on his feet.

"I-I-I wanted to see you." He slurred, rolling his head to face me.

"Fang!" I almost screamed. "You're drunk!"

A silly smile spread across Fang's face and I scrunched my nose from the smell of alcohol in his breath. "No, silly goose! I just had a little bit of a magic potion!" he said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Remind me to bring a camera the next time he's drunk," Ella said in all seriousness. I tried to laugh but I was too worried about Fang.

I felt his hands clap on my cheeks and squeeze them together, making my lips fold in. "You look like a fishy!" He said, laughing. I shook my head and tore his hands off of my face.

"Come on, let's get him inside." I said to Ella, glancing up at Fang in disgust. She nodded and lifted one of Fang's arms around her neck. I did the same with his other arm. We started walking with him to the front door of our house.

"Hey, Fishy?" Fang asked, looking over at me. "Where are we going? Narnia?" he asked again, smiling. "I want to go to Narnia!" I shook my head and tried to ignore Ella's laugh. Oh, Fang is _never_ going to live this down.

"Almost there." Ella muttered, taking the first step to out front porch. She pulled her key out of her pocket and let Fang hold onto me for support while she went to open the door. I pulled Fang up to the door and waited for Ella to finish unlocking the door.

Fang glanced over at me and practically did a double take. "Maxie!" He said in delight. "When did you get here? Where did Fishy go?" He asked, looking genuinely confused. If I wasn't so worried, I would have burst out laughing. Let's just say that he's being called 'Fishy' for the rest of his life.

I groaned as Ella opened the door and held it out so I could shove Fang through. I carefully steered him around all of the furniture and up the stairs. All we had to do was get him to the guest room and we'd be set. I slapped my hand over his mouth after he suggested singing the Barney theme song but this time, I did laugh. I never actually knew that Fang knew the Barney theme song.

I was able to get to the guest room without a problem so I swung open the door and led him over to the bed. I sat him down and practically fell next to him. I let out a sigh and tried not to freak out on Fang, no, tomorrow I get to freak out on him. I waited a couple minutes for Ella, who had gone into the kitchen to get water for him. I laid him down on the bed and sighed, feeling more tired than I had all night. Now do you see what Fang does to me? He wears me out!

"Here, I have the water." Ella said from behind me as she walked into the room. I smiled at her and handed it over to Fang, who ripped the cap off of the bottle and downed it immediately. He sat up, trying not to get the water all over him as he took big gulps of it. I frowned and looked over at Ella. "What are we going to do?" Ella asked, looking at Fang.

"We're going to let him sleep it off." I said with a deep breath. "There really isn't anything else we can do." I added, giving her some reassurance.

"Shouldn't we tell mom?" she asked, frowning once more.

"No, we'll just let him sleep it off for now. Plus, she has to get up early for work. After all, it is her last day before she gets off for Christmas." I pointed out, looking at her out of the corner of my eye.

"Okay," she said, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Are you going to stay up with him?" She asked, pushing a small smile towards me.

"Yeah, I am." I said, looking down at Fang, who had passed out practically as soon as his head hit the pillow. "Go to bed. You sound tired." I added, knowing she was about ready to fall over, sleeping.

She looked at me for a second but then nodded hesitantly. "Okay. Just tell me if you need anything." She added, nodding over to Fang. I nodded and watched her retreating back walk out of the room and down the hallway. Once I couldn't see her anymore I sighed and dragged the computer chair over to the bed. I sat down and put my feet up onto the bed so they were just inches away from touching Fang's arm.

I sighed, thinking about what just happened. There was no doubt in my mind that all of this had been Duncan's idea. I looked up at Fang as he stirred and rolled over, falling back to sleep immediately. I shook my head. What had happened to him? Things were going so great but now- now they were just falling apart. Just a month ago, everything was perfect. We were always hanging out with each other, nothing bad ever happened, his mom and Nudge were still alive, and nothing could ever go wrong. Unfortunately, nothing ever happened that way.

Now, Nudge and Mrs. Keyes were gone, Fang's dad was trying his best not to become a wreck and help his son, Fang had become anti-social with everyone who loved him, he was hanging around with Duncan and his merry band of misfits, he quit the basketball team, he had been getting into fights in school more and more often, and no matter how hard he tried, he wasn't able to get away from the new life he was leading.

I thought back to what happened that night. Fang had me talking to me but as soon as Duncan came, he disregarded me completely. He didn't care how I felt about it, he just left. I groaned. If he was being such a jerk to me, why was I helping him now?

"Max?" A hoarse voice called out from the bed. I straightened up and glanced at the clock. 5:27; mom would be waking up in a half hour. I stood up and reached over to the bed, sitting on the side of it.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, trying to be as nice as I could.

"Headache." He stated simply, rubbing his head. He seemed to sober up enough to actually have a conversation about something other than Barney or fish. "What happened?" he asked, looking around the dark room.

"Duncan brought you home drunk." I said, watching him sit up. "You're lucky Ella and I were up so late. If your dad saw you like that, he'd go nuts." I added, sweeping a piece of Fang's hair out of his eyes.

"Thank you." He muttered as he sat up, stretching out his wiry arms.

"What are you doing with him?" I asked harshly. Now was the time I'd finally get some answers. He looked up at me, confused and I shook my head. "Why are you hanging out with Duncan all the time? You know he's no good!"

"It's none of your business who I hang out with," He said, looking up at me, wincing once he saw my glare. "But, if you must know, he's helping me. He understands."

"Helping you do what!?"I almost screamed. "Get you thrown in jail? 'Cause I know he's good at that!" I exclaimed, standing up. "He's no good and you know it!"

"He's good to me! He's helping me more than anyone else has!" He said, standing up and standing in front of me so he was towering over me.

"Really? How is he helping you? By getting you drunk? By dropping you to deal with everything _alone_?" I said, getting more and angrier by the second. "And you say he helps you more than I do, when I help you sober up in time so your dad doesn't beat the shit out of you for drinking in the first place?" I stopped talking and tried to contain my rage.

He stepped back, his eyes widening slowly. I tried to calm myself down, thinking about ponies and hearts and rainbows but that just turned into wild horses, broken hearts, and shattered joy. "Max," he whispered, looking at me carefully, reaching out to take my hand.

"Don't even say anything!" I said, pulling my hand away from his. "You had a choice, stay with your friends, who love you, or, go along with Duncan and leave the people who love you in the dust." I stated simply. "I see that you've made your decision already."

"Max!" another voice whisper-yelled. I turned around and saw Ella poke her head into the door frame. "Mom's awake!" She said urgently, glancing behind her and continued walking down the hallway. I frowned. What were we going to do? It was normal for Ella to be going to the bathroom or something at 6 in the morning but my mom knew that I wouldn't be awake this early unless something important was going on. If she caught me, she would know that Fang was here. Then, we'd be screwed.

I panicked and grabbed Fang's hand, dragging him out into the hallway with me. I pulled him down to my room and shoved him in, closing the door silently behind me. "Hide somewhere." I said, looking around.

"Why? Why can't she see me?" He asked, looking at me worriedly. "I've been here a million of times without her knowing and she's never cared."

"Well, that was when we were friends and when she wouldn't be able to smell the alcohol on you." I said, noting that his breath and clothes still smelled like beer. "She'd tell your dad as soon as she finds you." I added, making him go into hyper drive. I heard my mom's footsteps and I shot Fang a panicked look. He jumped down and went into a push-up position, lowering himself almost completely under my bed. I made sure he couldn't be seen, for once glad that I had such a messy room, and fell into bed just in time for my mom to open the door.

"Hey mom," I heard Ella say as she walked past my room.

"Hello, honey." She said. I could almost hear the smile in her voice. "She had a long night, huh?" She asked, talking about me.

"Yeah, the dance really took a lot out of her." Ella said, keeping things vague. "I think she had a good time though."

"She looked so good with Sam." My mom said and I cringed, wondering what Fang was thinking right now. Wait- what? Why should I care what he thinks? "I think she really likes him." She added, as an afterthought.

"Yeah," Ella said dryly. "She likes him a lot." I heard the urgency in Ella's voice and I was glad. I was beginning to get restless.

"But it's too bad she wasn't able to go with Fang." My whole body froze. What was she talking about? "His dad, Mr. Keyes to you, said that Fang was going to ask her but he said that they got into some kind of argument. Maybe that's why she's been acting so weird lately and why he hasn't come around as much."

"He was going to ask her to the dance?" Ella asked and I frowned into my pillow. Why did she choose now to talk to my mom about this?

"Yeah, it's a shame." My mom replied. "Well honey, let her sleep. She hasn't been sleeping much lately." I heard the door slowly shut and opened my eyes once I confirmed that the only light in the room was coming from my open window. I sighed and turned around, hanging my head over the side of the bed to look at Fang.

"Get out." I said, letting my hair fall all around my face. He looked over at me and started maneuvering his way out from under my bed.

"Aren't you going to ask me about what they said?" He asked, sitting on his knees and shaking out his hair.

"No. Now, get out." I said, hoping he would be his stubborn self and tell me about it anyway. I stood up and unzipped my sweatshirt, ready to actually go to sleep as soon as he left. I pulled it off my shoulders and threw it over the side of my desk. I turned back around and came face to face- rather face to chest- with Fang.

"At least let me explain." He said, trying to talk to me rationally. Before I got a chance to tell him to leave, he continued. "Don't tell me to go, again. At least give me a minute."

I sighed, glancing towards the door. "Okay. One minute." I said, limiting him to exactly one minute.

"Thank you." He said, looking down at me gratuitously. "I don't know where to start." He muttered, looking down at his feet.

"How about you start at the part where you were going to ask me out," I said, glaring at him. I folded my arms across my chest and tried not to look him in the eyes.

"Well, before we-"He paused for a second and I frowned, remembering when I had kissed him. "I was trying to build up the nerve to ask you to the dance." He continued. He looked at me hopefully but I did my best to keep my face like stone.

"Thirty seconds." I warned, glaring up at him.

He sighed and took a step forwards, grabbing my hands and holding on tight. "You know, I broke when I saw you at the dance with Sam. You looked so beautiful. I bet you didn't know I saw you kissing either." I almost let my surprise show on my face. I really didn't see the big deal in Sam and me going to the dance together. I mean, Fang didn't even ask me so it was okay… right?

"You made your choice." I said, watching confusion mask Fang's face. In the distance, I heard my mom's car starting and the front door slamming. "Instead of being with me and Iggy, you decided to go hang with Duncan and his merry band of gangsters. If you're just going to continue acting like this, I don't want to be anywhere near you." I said, feeling my heart being crushed in my chest. Did I want to tell Fang not to talk to me anymore? No. Was it necessary? Yes.

"Max, you can't be serious!" He said, pulling me closer to him.

"I am." I answered, grimacing. "Now leave. You've overstayed your welcome." I ripped my hands out of Fangs and stepped aside, making a clear path for him to walk.

"Would it help if I said I was sorry?" He asked, trying once more. I felt my heart pounding in my chest as he gave me a small, cheesy smile. I wanted to jump up and hug him, telling him he was my best friend for the rest of eternity but back on this planet, I had to let him go.

"No." I said, watching his face fall. "Please, don't make this any harder. Just leave. Please." I said, looking away from him.

"Fine," He said but it sounded forced. It sounded like he had something else to say. He gently put his hand on the back of my head and brought it to him, kissing my forehead lightly. I tried to resist the urge to grab him and pull him into me. I waited for a minute after he walked out of my room and collapsed onto my bed.

I sighed, could things between us get any worse? I mean, we've already hit rock bottom so, the only place to go now is up. Maybe now was finally the time where we were going to make up and be best friends again. Maybe now was the time where my dreams can become realities. Maybe now was the time that Fang and I could actually live with each other in harmony.

* * *

I have a vague idea of that I want to add into the next few chapters but I really don't think it is going to be more than 20 chapters. If I think of something else to add into the plot, then it'll be longer but as of now, 20 is the number. I just thought you readers would like to know that... for future reference or something.

Anyways, review please!


	16. Chapter 16

Hey everyone! I'm so sorry! I haven't updated for three weeks! I'm been so busy with things for school it's pretty unreal! I'm probably losing all of my readers because of these late updates but any of you who are still reading thank you!

I just want to thank everyone for all of the reviews! I can't believe that in only five chapters I got over 100 reviews! That is just pain awesome! You people are the best!

This is a SERIOUSLY long chapter. Really. It's over 9,000 words! 17 pages! Hopefully it'll make you forgive me for being so mean and not updating for, like, three weeks! This chapter has a lot of Iggy and its revealing another twist in the plot that you may or may not like and all of you people getting mad at me for making Max and Fang fight will like me by the end of the chapter!

So here is chapter sixteen! I'm hoping to make things a lot happier within the next few chapters so just bear with me for a little while!

* * *

"What?" I practically shouted at my mom, amazed and angered at what she had just said. "You have to be kidding me! Please tell me you're kidding!" I yelled, feeling my face heat up.

"I said that I invited Fang and his father over for Christmas Eve dinner" She repeated as if it were completely normal to crush your daughter's hopes and dreams. "I'm not joking. I am still very close with Mr. Keyes and I'd like it to stay that way. You kids just need to work things out." She added, making me want to punch something.

"You have no idea what you're doing, do you?" I said in a low voice. She was going to ruin my new plan: ignore Fang completely. When Fang was around, I couldn't think straight. My emotions got in the way of my common sense thus, clouding my judgment. The last time I let that happen, I found myself kissing Fang. I was _not_ prepared to let that happen again.

"Max, I'm going to be seeing Mr. Keyes for the first time in a few weeks. It'd be nice for me to see my friends once in awhile!" She answered, raising her voice by the end it. "It's not always about you, you know!"She added, making me feel bad for a moment.

"It's never about me, mom! When has anything been about me?" I said, speaking the truth. I never asked for anything- even when I needed things. "I've never asked you for anything can you please just do this one thing for me? I do NOT want to see him?"

"Max, honey, why not?" She asked, lowering her voice. She wasn't ready to argue with me anymore. "I'm really getting worried about you. You've been mopey and depressed lately. What's going on?" She asked, standing up from where she was sitting on a kitchen chair.

I looked at my feet and shifted my weight from side to side awkwardly. "Well, I, um," I stuttered, looking back up at my mom's worried face. "It's, um, a long story." I said, hoping she would just drop it but instead, she put her hands on my shoulders and gently pushed my down onto a chair.

"I have time."

I sighed, running a hand through my knotty hair. "It's complicated." I said hopefully, thinking that maybe she wouldn't want to hear about it.

"I can keep up." She said confidently. I inwardly groaned and started to explain. I started from when we were in school and first heard that Nudge and Mrs. Keyes had passed away. I told her about how Fang kept reacting and about the morning that I had broken down. I told her briefly about the kiss we shared that morning, expecting her to completely freak out on me but she just nodded and leaned her cheek against her hand thoughtfully.

I continued by telling her what happened at the funeral, again, leaving out some of the details of when Fang had hit me. I told her about Iggy taking me home and the rumors spread around school. I paused briefly after telling her about the dance and sighed, not wanting to go on. She just looked at me, speechless.

"You know," my mom began, reaching over and taking my hand in hers. "You are a lot stronger than you think." She said, offering a small smile.

"What?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"You are one of the strongest kids I know!" She repeated, smiling. "If it were anyone else, they would be a wreck by now but you…" She trailed off, looking at me intently. "You were able to get through all of that by yourself. With no one's help." She continued forcefully.

"I'm not strong." I muttered, looking away from my mom and drawing my hand back. I heard her ask why but I was off in my own little world. "Mom, I don't want to be around him because I'm scared." I admitted, staring at her chocolate eyes. She urged me to go on. "Every time I'm around him, my feelings go running wild and I can't stop them. That's why I didn't push him away when he…" I trailed off, not wanting to think about the first kiss we shared.

"When he kissed you?" She asked, finishing my sentence. "If you ask me, I think that you're worried about him. I've heard from some other mothers that he has been hanging around with those delinquent kids but I didn't believe it because he was just a nice kid. Now that you're telling me, I have no choice but to believe it."

I sighed and smacked my head down on the table. "Does this mean that they don't have to come for Christmas?" I asked hopefully, ignoring the pain in my forehead from hitting it against the oak.

"Oh, no, they're still coming." She said, standing up and brushing the invisible dust off of her black pants.

"What?" I almost screamed, shooting up to my feet. "Please, mom, please!" I actually _did_ scream that time.

"Honey, I think it's best if you talk things through with him." She said, not taking no for an answer. "Please just let them come over. It's only for the one night and if you really have a problem with it, I'll ask them to leave." She added, making me feel a little bit better.

"Fine," I said, frowning. I pivoted on my feet and ran upstairs. I screeched to a halt into my room and slammed my door behind me. I collapsed onto my bed and let out a sigh, frowning to myself.

So Fang had to come over for Christmas dinner. It can't be that bad… can it? I let out a deep breath. All I had to do is relax and try and get through that night without going insane. I still had three days to prepare for my upcoming doom since Christmas Eve was on a Friday. We had this whole week off of school so maybe I could think of different escape plans in case I needed to get away from him. I guess I could just sit and talk to the parents if things get too crazy with me and him, and I'll have Ella there with me. Maybe that could account for _something_.

"Hey, Max?" Well, speak of the devil.

"Yeah Ells?" I asked, sitting up and turning to face my sister, who was standing in the door frame to my room. I glanced up at her face and saw a grave expression on it. "What's wrong?" I asked, standing up urgently.

"Um, do you remember when I was going to tell you something?" She asked vaguely. She shifted awkwardly from foot to foot and I stepped forwards, grabbing her shoulders.

"Ells, be more specific." I said, frowning. I gently pulled her into my room and closed my door, making sure that whatever she told me was private. I turned around and glanced out the window, seeing bright lights slowly appear in the night sky. I had that huge argument with Fang yesterday and, after that, I needed some rest and time to think so Ella and I basically watched old romantic movies and ate ice cream all day. It was great sibling bonding time.

"Oh, um, when I was helping you get dressed; for the dance." She clarified, sitting down on my bed and leaning against the headboard. She did everything she could to avoid my gaze but I just kept looking at her.

"Yeah, I remember you were telling me something." I said, thinking back to when my mom had interrupted us talking because Sam had gotten here. "What about it?"

"I know why you hate Jeb." She said, finally meeting my gaze. Her eyes were lined with tears as she spoke. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, sniffling softly. "He tried to do the same thing to me that I think he did to you."

"What did he do?" I asked, wrapping one arm around her and taking one of her hands in my other. I squeezed it reassuringly and gave her a small, forced smile.

"Well, at first, he was acting like the perfect dad." She said a dark grimace on her lips. "But then he started to get really mean. It was like he was acting the opposite…" She trailed off, thinking for a moment. "Then he cornered me when I got home from school and mom was at work. He kept asking me for money but I didn't know why. I was confused."

I watched as thin, wet streaks fell down her cheeks and I wiped away her tears. "Sh, sh, it's okay." I assured her. "Go on."

"Once I said I didn't have any, he started asking about mom's credit cards and check books. I lied and told him that they were all in the kitchen and then I went to hide them 'cause I knew that mom kept them in the drawer in her office." She said, her eyebrows furrowing. "He must have heard me running down the stairs because he ran after me and tried to catch me and then- then," She continued, more and more tears spilling down her cheeks. She buried her face into my shoulder as I tried to get over my shock.

"It's okay, it's okay. You don't have to tell me anymore of it."I whispered into her ear. I already knew the rest of the story. The same thing had happened to me two years ago and I was not prepared to let it happen again.

It began the same way: Jeb coming to the house for a visit and making a good impression on mom and Ella. Deep inside, I knew something was wrong but I didn't think that Jeb would do anything bad to us. The same thing happened to me as it did Ella but I wasn't as brave as her. When he came to me asking for money, I didn't lie and tell him it was somewhere else, I didn't run and try and hide it, and I didn't tell anybody what happened after that except for my best friends who I could trust with such a secret.

I had told my mom I fell down the stairs and at first she didn't believe that I could get bruised and cut like I did but after a day, she warmed up to the idea seeing as there was no other explanation. I never once told my mom or Ella anything about what had happened in my mom's office because they never asked. They always thought I was mentally unstable because every time Jeb came to visit, I would run to Fang or Iggy's house. I never wanted to see him because I was too scared to face him; too scared to think that he would actually care.

I told just two people, knowing that it would still be a secret if I did. They were the only two who had seen my attitude really change during the weeks after what had happened. They saw that I jumped at the touch of anyone and that I barely talked. They saw that I trusted no one and stayed out of people's way. They were the only two genuinely worried about me. My mother thought it was just a phase I was going through, after all, it was my freshman year so maybe she expected me to be scared of the seniors or something.

Fang and Iggy kept it a secret for two years. They didn't make me talk about it, nor did they ever bring it up. They just kept silent, only speaking about it with their eyes. They knew when I was thinking about it and they did everything in their power to comfort me. Needless to say, I would have gone insane without them but I should have told someone else. If I had, this wouldn't have happened to Ella. This shouldn't have happened to Ella.

"I'm so sorry." I said, hugging her into my chest. "This shouldn't have happened to you." I muttered, kissing her forehead. "Did he- do anything to you?" I asked softly, meeting her eyes with mine. She sniffled and sat up, positioning herself so she was sitting on her feet. She pulled up the side of her shirt and alone one of her ribs I saw a large, purple bruise with small red cuts trailing along it. I felt my own eyes fill with tears and I hugged her once more, squeezing her slightly. "I'll be right back. Stay here." I said, standing up and walking towards the door.

"Wait, Max!" She called after me, worry in her eyes. "What are you going to do?" She asked, sitting up tall on my bed and looking at my retreating back.

"I'm going to set things straight." I said over my shoulder as I swiftly opened the door and exited. I walked down the hall calmly but by the time I reached the stairs, I was itching to run away. I stormed down the stairs and into the kitchen, only to come face to face with my mom.

"Max, what have I told you about running down the stairs?" She asked in her 'motherly' tone. I could almost picture her wagging her finger in front of my face.

"We need to talk." I said simply. I glanced down at her and saw that she had on her lab coat and was carrying her notebooks. "Where are you going?"I asked, noticing that her shoes were on and that he purse was slung over her shoulder.

"The hospital called; they have a pregnant deer that came in because it was hit by a car. They don't have anyone on duty tonight so they ask me to fill in." She answered. "Now, sweetie, I need to go."

She tried to push past me but I stopped her. "No you don't." I answered.

"Don't use that tone with me." She said angrily. "Max, I need to go! I need to help that deer!" She added, trying to push past me again.

"You aren't leaving!" I exclaimed, looking at her with stone-cold eyes. She rolled her eyes, checked her watch, and looked down at me but as soon as she did, her eyes softened. She knew something was up.

"What's the matter?" She asked hastily. "What's going on, Max?" She asked again.

"We need to talk." Was all I said before she tore off her lap coat and dropped her books. She grabbed the phone and called the veterinary, telling them that they'd have to find someone else to help the deer. She dragged me into the kitchen and sat me down, looking at me intensely. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

"Is that everything, Max?" She asked, looking at me carefully. I tried to ignore the tears running down her cheeks but my eyes were drawn to them. I had just told her what happened to me two years ago when Jeb had come. It was about time she found out. I nodded. "Why didn't you tell me after all these years? I would have never let him back into this house!" She announced, grinding her teeth slightly.

"I was scared." I said, looking down at my hands. I folded them and unfolded them nervously. "I told Iggy and Fang but swore them to secrecy but they said that if it happened again they were going to tell someone." I added, frowning.

"I'm going to call the police." She said, jumping up and grabbing the phone. She started dialing and glanced over at me.

"Wait!" I said, standing up. She paused, "There's one more thing." I said calmly. Her eyes widened and her muscles tensed. I took a deep breath and continued, "He did the same thing to Ella when he was here." I said, avoiding her gaze. I didn't hear anything so I glanced up. Her face was as hard as stone as she dialed the police.

"Go get her." She growled, right before she began speaking into the phone. "Yes, my name is Valencia Martinez and I need to report child abuse…" I tuned her out as I walked upstairs as if I was in a trance. This was it. He was never coming back. I figured that the most that would happen was a restraining order. Jeb was very high into the government and was an appreciated scientist. He wouldn't go to jail unless he murdered someone.

I walked into my room, my mind in the clouds. I trudged over to Ella and grabbed her hands, pulling out of my room and down the hall. I dragged her downstairs and sat her down in front of my mom, who was talking to a police man on the phone. She gave Ella and me both a big hug and checked out Ella's cuts and bruises. It was bad but, to be honest, my bruises were worse.

The rest of the night was pretty much a blur. I remembered my mom talking about meeting up with our lawyer after the Christmas break and how hard it would be to get a restraining order because of Jeb's social status. All I could remember after that was what I was doing right now. Laying in bed, listening to my iPod, and listing possible ways I could run away before Christmas Eve. After all, I only had three days left until Fang and his dad came for dinner.

* * *

Three Days until Christmas Eve…

'_I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world, life is plastic, it's fantastic, you-'_I jolted upright and snatched my cell phone from my side table. I didn't even have to look at the screen, seeing as I already knew who it was. That song had always reminded me of Iggy…

"Max here," I mumbled, still trying to wake up.

"Hey, Maxie girl!" Iggy said into the phone. I chuckled slightly and listened to his voice. "So I wanted to know if you wanted to go to the mall. I need to buy my parents Christmas presents and I think you said you needed to but one for Ella…" He trailed off, waiting for my response.

I glanced over at the clock and saw that I slept in. It was already 1:30. "Uh, Ig, it's going to be so crowded!" I exclaimed. "How about we go tomorrow? I'm exhausted today anyway." I added, realizing that I actually did need to buy Ella a Christmas present.

"Okay, cool." Iggy said and I could almost hear him smile through the phone. "Now I have nothing to do all day, though." He said a sigh in his voice.

"Why don't you come over here and make me some breakfast?" I quickly suggested, really in the mood for an omelet.

"It's almost two in the afternoon and you want breakfast?" He asked incredulously. I nodded but then realized that even though his hearing was amazing, he could not hear a nod so I grunted a short 'yeah' and heard him laugh on the other end. "Okay, okay. I'm on my way over."

I grinned to myself, happy that I was going to get an omelet. "Cool. I'll see you in a few." I said, slowly getting out of bed.

"See you." Iggy said right before he hung up the phone. I closed my phone and threw it down onto my bed, sighing softly. I grabbed sweatpants and slid them on over my shorts, realizing how cold it was. I didn't bother putting anything over my tank top, though. The heat from the stove while Iggy is cooking should warm me up. I trotted downstairs and into the kitchen, seeing Ella sitting at the kitchen table with a book in her hands.

"What are you reading?" I asked, walking over to the fridge. I opened it and pulled out a piece of chocolate, shoving it into my mouth.

"Pride and Prejudice," She muttered, not looking up from the book. "It's really good. You should read it." She added, not realized that I had to read that book too.

"I did, Ells." I answered, pulling out another piece of chocolate and throwing it over at her. "Oh, by the way, Iggy is coming over to make me breakfast."

"Iggy's going to cook?" Ella asked, closing the book and looking up at me. Sure, _I_ couldn't make her look up but Iggy's _cooking_ could. That's just cruel; just pain cruel.

"Yeah, he called me this morning and he's coming over now." I said, crossing the kitchen and sitting across from Ella. She smiled and got lost in thought over Iggy's cooking. I was guessing that her little crush on him went away. After all, she _is_ one of the most popular girls in her year. She probably has a crush that's crushing on her also. "How are you feeling?" I asked, changing the mood slightly.

"Better," She said, looking at me seriously. "I feel a lot better after telling someone. I just didn't want to tell mom. Sometimes she can get pretty scary." I smirked at her as she started to make monster motions with her arms as she growled.

"Yeah, I know the feeling." I said, frowning.

"Hey kiddies!" A voice called from the main hallway. I leaned back in my chair and saw Iggy walking through the door. We really need to start locking that thing. "Geez, it's cold out there!" He announced as he walked in. He took one look at our faces and frowned. "What were we talking about?" He asked seriously.

"Jeb," I said softly. He walked over to me and grabbed my hand, glancing over at Ella. He didn't know that she knew. "Don't worry. I told my mom. He- he did the same thing to Ella." I said, trying not to break down again. I saw Iggy's eyes widen as he turned his head to look at Ella, who was now pouring herself a glass of milk. He walked over to her and gently hugged her.

Sure, she might be over her crush on him but there was no doubt that she _liked_ hugging him. After all, if a tall, muscular, blue eyed, blonde haired guy just came up to you and hugged you, I think that you'd be pretty happy. Heck, I would. Wait--- forget I said that.

"Let's change the subject!" Iggy announced as he broke away from Ella. "Who wants some eggs?" He asked, walking over to our fridge.

"I _would_ but I'm going to Jessica's to help her with her history project." Ella said, grabbing her book off of the counter. "So I'll be back later." She added to me. I nodded my head but wouldn't move my eyes from where Iggy was taking out some bacon.

"Be home before dark. Don't drink. Don't do drugs. Don't steal anything. Don't eat all her food." I said, listing everything my mom would say. "You know the drill." I added, winking at her. She laughed and gathered her things, getting ready to leave.

"So I guess it's just you and me now, partner." Iggy said in a really bad western accent. I chuckled and stood up, walking over to him. "Do you want to help?" He asked, looking at me as I drooled over the bacon.

"Me? Help in the kitchen?" I asked, looking at him like he was insane. "I don't think so." I added, shaking my head.

"Oh, come on! It won't be that bad. After all, you have me here to help you and we all know how good of a cook I am!" He boasted, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. It took me a second but I nodded and move closer to him, looking over his shoulder at what he was doing.

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked, looking up at him. I watched as his long, pale fingers gently cracked eggs, one by one, on the side of the glass mixing bowl.

"Help me crack eggs." He said softly, moving the carton of eggs closer to me. "Judging by the amount you and I both eat, we'll need a lot." He added, chuckling. I elbowed him in his rib and smiled. I felt his eyes on me.

"How do I do this?" I asked, frowning as I watched him. "You know that I've never cooked a day in my life."

"Yeah, good thing too," He said, smirking. I stuck my tongue out at him and looked back down at what he was doing. "Just gently bang it against the side of the bowl until it's cracked enough that you can pull the two sides apart and let the white and yolk go into the bowl but try and not let the shell go in." He added, demonstrating slowly so I could try.

I grabbed an egg and gently hit it against the bowl. I watched as a large, uneven crack split down the middle of it and I smiled as I pulled the two halves of the shell away from each other. The insides dropped into the bowl with no sign of the white shell.

"How's that for a beginner?" I asked rhetorically. I turned to face Iggy and smiled.

"Eh, you could have done better." He said, smirking at me. I gasped and held my hands up to my heart, conveniently forgetting that they were covered in egg goo. He smiled and tapped my nose, leaving the goo on it. I wiped it off with my arm and turned back to the bowl, laughing.

"I think I should try again." I said, grinning to myself. He nodded and stepped back, letting me stand in front of the bowl. I cracked it again and pulled the halves apart, this time, letting small white pieces of shell fall into the bowl. I groaned. "Damn it!"

Iggy leaned over my shoulder and I could feel his breath on my neck. I tensed up and glanced at him. "I knew it'd be too hard for you." He said, winking at me. I pouted as he fished the shell out with a spoon. We stood there for another five minutes, cracking all of the eggs in the carton and occasionally fishing out the shell. I stood back as Iggy finished up the mixture by adding in some milk and some other spice. I wasn't going to ask him about it. After all, _he was_ the cook.

Iggy put the egg mixture to the side and turned to face my, his pale blue eyes staring straight at mine as he ran a hand through his strawberry blonde hair. "What else do you want to make?" He asked, smiling.

"Pancakes!" I announced, smiling. Breakfast wouldn't be breakfast without pancakes!

"Okay, but you are making the pancakes." He said, smirking evilly at me. I gave him a doubtful look and he sighed. "Don't worry. I'll be watching!" I smiled and nodded. I started to walk somewhere but ended up spinning in circles.

"What do we need to make pancakes?" I asked, blushing slightly. He turned me to face the cabinet and pushed my slightly.

"Well, first we need flour." He started listing all of the ingredients that we needed to make pancakes and I got them, putting them on the counter of the island in the middle of our kitchen. Once we were finished, I started the process. I cracked eggs and whisked them until they were 'fluffy'. I really wasn't sure what that meant but Iggy said they looked good.

"Now add all of the dry ingredients into the eggs." He said, smiling. He was really enjoying this.

I just looked at him plainly, frowning. "Dry ingredients being…?" I asked, feeling really stupid. I really should cook more often.

"Anything in power form," he clarified, smirking at me as I added in all of the 'dry ingredients'.

"Is that good enough Your Majesty?" I asked, pointing at my lumpy mixture. He took one look and laughed. "Hey! That's not nice!" I said, making him realize that he was laughing at me which, of course, made him laugh harder. I stuck my hand in the bag of flour next to me and grinned evilly, wiping it across Iggy's face, giving him a white moustache. His eyes widened and he stuck his hand in the bag, dropping a fistful of flour on my head. I gasped and grabbed more, throwing it at him as he raced around the island. He ducked down right as the flour hit him in the face. I grinned and turned around, think I had won.

I turned back around only to feel a thin, gooey liquid being poured onto my head. I looked up at Iggy and saw him with the mixing bowl filled with the eggs for my omelet. I frowned, closing my eyes to avoid getting the egg in it. I felt the liquid stop and was about to open my eyes when I felt flour hit my face. I wiped my hand down it, clearing it away from my eyes and mouth.

"This. Is. WAR!" I shouted, grabbing the bag of flour and chasing him around the kitchen with it. I wouldn't like to go into detail but long story short; we will have a _lot _of cleaning up to do once my mom gets home.

"What happened in here?!" A voice screamed from behind us. I looked up from where Iggy and I were eating the raw pancake batter and over at my mom, who was standing at the edge of the kitchen.

"Oh, about that," I muttered, looking away.

"Max tried to cook." Iggy said simply, grinning at me. "I tried to talk her out of it but she just wouldn't listen! I think she has a problem!" He announced. I stuck my hand in the batter and dumped a handful of the batter onto his face. He closed his eyes and nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, I deserved that." He said honestly.

"Okay, well, I want this place cleaned up!" my mom said, shaking her head and going downstairs to her office.

"It's a good thing she likes you so much." I said, sticking my finger into the batter and plopping a mound of it onto my tongue. "'cause with anyone else, she would have gone ballistic but no, she likes you."

"Everyone likes me, Maxie." He said, eating some batter. "Live with it." He added, smiling. I grinned to myself and leaned over, putting my head against his shoulder. I guess this was a suitable way to spend a day over your winter break. Okay, so maybe it wasn't but at least it was still fun!

* * *

Two Days until Christmas Eve…

The next day, I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock blaring. I groaned and dragged myself out of bed to make sure I had enough time to take a shower. Iggy and I had spent so much time making a mess yesterday that by the time it got dark out, I was exhausted so I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I quickly undressed, feeling the cold really getting to me. I slipped on my robe and grabbed my towel. I walked down the hallway, surprised that I didn't see anyone. I knew that mom was at work but where was Ella? I shrugged, figuring that she slept in and continued walking down to the bathroom.

I opened the door and immediately went to the shower, turning it on as how as it would go. The heat would feel nice on such a cold day. As soon as I felt the steam coming from behind the curtain, I stripped off my robe and jumped into the shower, feeling the hot water relax my tense muscles. I did what one would usually do in the shower and just tried to relax. I turned off the water and grabbed a towel, drying myself off quickly. I wrapped it around my hair and slid on my robe, already leaving the bathroom to change. Iggy was coming to pick me up to go to the mall at ten so I still had a half hour.

I went into my room and changed into my favorite gray skinny jeans, a dark red v-neck tee-shirt, and my old black converse. I shrugged on my black jacket and put my hair up into a messy bun. Before I left my room, I paused in front of the mirror. I looked at myself carefully.

I was nothing spectacular. Brown hair and brown eyes. What was the big deal? Why would someone like Sam even like me? I mean, after all, he was the only one who liked me. Unless what Ella said was actually true and… Fang liked me but that would be insane. It'd be like a dream. I guess it could be true. I mean, he's kissed me before and when I kissed him, he didn't pull away. At all. Maybe there is something there.

I frowned and turned, grabbing my phone and wallet before walking out of my room. I took the stairs two at a time and walked into the living room, where I saw Ella sitting in front of the TV.

"Ells?" I asked, looking at her carefully. She had an X-Box controller in her hands, a headset on her head, and her eyes glued to the TV. "What are you doing?" I asked, looking at her carefully.

"Call of Duty; I can't stop playing it!" She exclaimed as her hands flew across the controller. "What? No? That was my sister. Did you just see that? He just got owned!" She yelled.

I shook my head, sighing. "Oh my gosh, she's becoming one of them." I looked over at her again. "Have you been playing all night?" I asked, sighing.

"Yeah. After I left Jessica's I got hooked on it. I'm playing with Jess, Matt, Alex, and Sean." She said, her eyes not leaving the screen.

"I knew that girl wasn't a good influence on you." I muttered, walking into the kitchen. I grabbed a pop tart and opened it, eating it slowly. I only had about five minutes until Iggy got here. I leaned against the counter, occasionally spotting a spot where Iggy and I had been too lazy to clean. I smirked and stood up straight, hearing Iggy's truck pulling into the driveway.

"See you later Ells; I'm going to the mall with Iggy!" I called out, walking past her to the front door as soon as Iggy honked his horn.

"Get me a pretzel while you're there!" She called out after me. I made a mental note to get her one. There was this amazing pretzel making place in the mall that Ella and I always went to every time we went there. It was kind of our tradition.

"Hey!" I said as I climbed out of the cold and into Iggy's truck.

"Hey," He said, smiling at me. "It's so cold out!" He announced, shivering.

"Yeah, you're telling me." I said, smiling over at him. I reached back to get the seat belt and I latched it. I wiggled slightly to make myself a little more comfortable and I smiled at Iggy. He began driving down the street.

"I saw Ella when you opened the door. What was she doing?" Iggy asked, glancing over at me as we drove. I looked up at him.

"Oh, she's seriously addicted to Call of Duty. Her friend got her into it and now that's all she's playing." I explained, seeing how out of character it is for Ella to be staring at a TV all the time.

"I love that game!" Iggy yelled, smiling. "Can we go back and play it?" He looked at me with puppy dog eyes.

"No," I said, laughing. "You need to but stuff for your parents! You didn't last year and you know how your mom reacted!" I said, remembering when he was forced to clean the entire house top to bottom once a week because he didn't get his mom anything.

"You're right." He said, smiling. "I have a question…" He said, looking over at me. I nodded and looked at him. "Why was Fang glaring at me when I pulled into your driveway this morning?" He asked his face suddenly serious.

"Do you want the long version or the short?" I asked, staring at his hands, which were glued to the steering wheel.

"Start with the short and see where that goes." He said, easing his foot off of the pedal as he stopped at a red light.

"Well, the other night after the dance, Ella and I were up late talking about what happened since she wanted to know exactly what all of the excitement was." I started, thinking. "Then we heard banging and we saw that it was Fang. Duncan left him outside his house, drunk, and he was calling for me. Ella and I got him, brought him inside, and let him sleep in the guest room until he was sober enough to go home. Once he woke up, he and I had a big argument." I concluded, sighing.

"Okay, two things," He started, taking a sharp left. "One, what were you and Ella talking about? Two, what was the argument?"

"I was explaining to Ella what happened at the dance with Sam and then what happened with Duncan and Fang when you, Sam, and Tess saved me from talking to them." I said, thinking about what Ella and I talked about. "Then we talked about the usual girl stuff. Who likes who and what not. Girl talk."

"And the argument with Fang?" He asked, reminding me of his second question.

"He was trying to ask me to the dance before…" I trailed off, not sure that I wanted to tell Iggy that we kissed a few times before that.

"Before what?" He asked, looking from the road to me.

"Before we, uh, we kissed." I said as I squeezed my eyes shut. I felt the whole truck slide to a short stop and I jerked forwards. I opened my eyes and saw Iggy sitting there, wide eyed, and staring at me.

"You two kissed?!" He screamed. "Why didn't I know this?" He asked, outraged.

"I didn't think it was that important." I said meekly. "It was only twice anyway." I glanced behind up as cars began to honk their horns since we stopped in the middle of the road.

"Twice?!" He exclaimed again, his eyes furious and his face red. "You kissed twice and I didn't know?!" He yelled.

"Iggy, calm down. I'm telling you now aren't I? Just drive. We're holding up traffic." I said, putting my hand over his. He calmed down and took a few deep breaths.

"Explain please." He demanded, staring at the road.

"The first time was a few days after Nudge and Mrs. Keyes…" I trailed off slightly. "I kind of broke down in the morning because I got a text from Nudge." I sighed, holding back years. "Fang took me into his arms and we just sat on my bed for awhile. Then he kissed me." I said, feeling a sense of longing as I thought about the kiss.

"The second?" He asked his voice hoarse and his hands gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles were white.

"It was after Fang joined Duncan's group but we didn't know it yet. I saw it on his phone when I was at his house because it was going off and I hate his ringtone. He walked in on me looking at it and he put it in his pocket. I needed to distract him so I could see the message so… I kissed him." I said, looking down at my hands, ashamed. "He's so confusing." I muttered, sighing.

"Confusing?" Iggy asked, finally calming down. "How is he confusing?" He asked again.

"I'm not sure you'd want to hear about all this girly stuff." I said, chuckling. "It's the kind of thing I'd save to talk to Ella about." I pointed out.

"In that case, don't tell me." Iggy said, sounding disgusted. I frowned at his tone as he pulled into a parking space at the mall. I climbed out of the car and walked around the front.

"Are you okay?" I asked, looking up at Iggy as we walked to the front doors of the mall. "You seem really out of it today." I pointed out.

"What? Yeah! I'm fine!" He said, smiling. He put his arm around me, making me feel shorter and shorter. I smiled and leaned into him, feeling the warmth coming off of him. We walked through the doors and immediately felt relief from the cold.

"What do you want to get your mom?" I asked, looking over at the hundreds of stores that lined out mall. "There are a lot of options."

"I was thinking that I'd get her a new pearl necklace." He said thoughtfully, looking at the directory for some kind of jewelry store.

"What happened to her old one? I thought she loved that necklace!" I said, looking up at him astonished.

"Uh, an accident?" He tried. I gave him a look saying 'yeah right now tell me the truth' and he continued, "Okay so I might have put them in vinegar to see if it could power a short bomb." He said, blushing and looking away from me. I laughed and smiled.

"I don't know what Ella would want so I'm just going to get her some gift cards to her favorite stores." I said, taking a mental note of where those stores were. "She also wanted some pair of rainbow converse that she found last weekend so I'll get those too." I added, holding onto my wallet. I always saved up my money for Christmas presents.

"Okay, cool." He said, smiling "So we'll get my mom's then your sisters so you don't have to carry bags around for a long time." He said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and bringing me into his chest.

"Oh, you're always thinking of the ladies." I said mockingly, making him smile. "No, really, it's sweet." I added, giving him a kiss on the cheek. His pale cheeks turned three shades redder and he looked at his feet. What's that all about?

We walked through the mall until we found the store Iggy was looking for. We went in and it took about an hour, but he finally found the perfect pearl necklace with matching earrings for his mom. He paid and we left immediately, thinking that eventually we'd break one of the glass displays on accident.

We ran around, goofing off the whole time. We must have gone into ten different photo booths before getting tired of the flash. We bought more candy than we'd ever seen in our entire life and all the horror movies we could find. Eventually, we decided that we should get going so we went to get all of Ella's gift cards and her rainbow converse. We ended up spending six hours there until we finally decided to leave at four.

"Hey, do you want to come to my place?" Iggy asked, looking over at me once we got into the car. "We'll have an all-night horror movie marathon and eat all our candy." He said, using candy and movies to persuade me.

"That'd be awesome. Let me just text Ella and see if she's okay with spending the night alone." I said, smiling at the thought of watching movies and eating candy all night.

'_Im goin 2 spend the nite w/ Iggy. R u alrite home alone?' _I sent to her, knowing she'd yell at me for using bad grammar.

Almost immediately, she sent me a message saying: _'Sure. Don't do anything I wouldn't ;) lol. I'm going to play CoD all night so it's fine with me. Just don't stay all day tomorrow. We need to cook for Christmas!" _

I smiled. "She says she's okay with staying home alone. My mom will be there in an hour anyway." I said, looking over at Iggy.

"My house it is!" He said, taking a sharp right and speeding down his street. After I screamed at him for his reckless driving, we finally made it to his house. We walked inside to his large, Victorian house.

"Mom!" Iggy called out, "I'm home and I kidnapped Max!" He added, making sure she knew I was here. I watched as a little plump woman walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her dish towel.

"Max! Darling! I haven't seen you in ages!" She exclaimed. She came up to me and gave me a big hug.

"Hi Mrs. Griffiths." I said, keeping my manners. "Is Mr. Griffiths home? I'd love to say hi to him." I said, smiling.

"No, I'm afraid he's at work but he will be here later." She said. "Judging by those movies and the candy I'm assuming you are spending the night?" She said, looking at the bags of candy in Iggy's and the stack of movies I was holding.

"Yes, mom, she is!" Iggy said, rolling his eyes. "We're going to use my TV." He added so she wouldn't fuss over us.

"Have fun you two." She called after us as we took the stairs up to Iggy's room.

"Your mom is so nice." I said, smiling as I walked in front of him. "She always seems to care so much." I observed.

"Yeah, she's great. Most of the time." He said dryly. I smacked him upside the head and laughed at his expression. "So what movie should we watch first?" He asked once we got into his room. I dropped all of the candy on his queen-sized bed and laid down on my stomach.

"How about Friday the 13th?" I said, grinning. It was always one of my favorite horror movies.

"The new one or the old one?" He asked, holding the two in either hand. I pointed to the older one and smiled, looking down at the candy I had dumped on his bed. Iggy closed the blinds and shut off the lights for full effect and we sat, watching horror movies all night in the dark. At times, I got scared and Iggy usually made that worse by freaking me out. At about four in the morning, we finally fell asleep.

"Max? Max? Wake up! You're lying on my arm!" I heard Iggy's lethargic voice from above me. I opened my eyes and saw his face almost directly above mine.

* * *

One Day until Christmas Eve…

"What?" I asked lazily.

"You're lying on my arm!" He said, chuckling. I rolled over so I'd be covering more of his body. He laughed and tried to push me off.

"What are you doing?" I asked, sitting up. I ran my hand through my hair and looked at him tiredly. "What time is it?" I asked slowly.

"I'm trying to get my arm back and it's…" He glanced over at his clock. "It's almost eleven." He said, smiling. I groaned and laid back down, frowning. "Geez, you're so cute when you're tired." He said, grinning.

"I get that a lot." I mumbled, closing my eyes. "Can I go back to bed?" I asked, looking up at him. He leaned over me, his blonde hair shining from the light behind him.

"No! You have to wake up!" He said, slapping my cheeks side to side.

I groaned and shoved a pillow over my face. "You are so annoying!" I said, frowning.

"Let's go!" He said, standing up. He walked around the bed and over to where I was lying. He picked me up and slung me over his shoulder.

"Hey! What are you doing!" I screeched as he carried me down the stairs. "Where are we going?"

"We're eating cereal!" He said, smiling at me. "I'm too tired to cook." He added, seeing the sad expression on my face.

"Yummy." I said as he dropped me on the counter in the kitchen. Mrs. Griffiths was staring at the two of us like we were insane. "You have a very strong son." I said, chuckling at her expression. She shook her head and walked away.

We are our breakfast. I had Rice Krispies while Iggy had boring 'ol Cheerios. We ended up splitting the little candy that was left and I stole the first 'Saw' movie when he wasn't looking. He drove me home and dropped me off. I unloaded all of my bags from the back of his truck and went into the house, happy to be at home.

"Ella?" I shouted, wondering where she was. My mom was at work by now but Ella wouldn't have gone with her, "Ella? Where are you?" I shouted again, staring to get worried. I searched every room in the house but couldn't find her. I finally sprinted into the kitchen, looking for a note saying that she went to her friend's house or something. I found a note but only two words were written. Her usually neat handwriting was rushed and sloppy. _"At Fang's"_

I dropped the paper and sprinted out the door and across the lawn to Fang's house. I knocked on the door once. Twice. Three times. I raised my hand to knock four times but it swung open and Fang stood there, his eyes alert.

"Where is she?" I demanded, pushing past him. I walked into his house and turned around.

"The living room." He answered quietly. "Max, where were you this morning?" He asked, looking at me worriedly.

"I was at Iggy's all night." I said, not caring that Fang and I were currently not speaking. I ignored his grinding teeth and clenched fists when I said I was at Iggy's, "Why? What happened?"

"Jeb." He said, walking towards me. "Apparently he left some important file at your house and he came back for it." He clarified. He grabbed my hand and brought me into the living room. "She won't talk to me about what happened." I let Fang drop my hand and I ran over to Ella, who was sitting on the couch with a blanket around her and hot chocolate in her hands.

"Max?" She asked, putting the drink down. I kneeled down and hugged her tightly, not letting go for anything.

"What happened?" I asked, looking over at her.

"He came back. He left a paper or something in the kitchen and he needed it. I wouldn't let him in so he tried to ram down the door. I thought he went away until he came in through the door on the garage. He ran through the house like crazy and I screamed. Fang heard me and came over. He scared Jeb away and brought me over here." She whispered shakily.

"Did you call mom?" I asked, looking at her carefully.

"I called her." Fang said, coming up behind me. "She's meeting up with lawyers right now. I tried calling your cell but it was dead and I didn't know how else to reach you. I didn't want to leave her here alone either." He explained.

I turned around and grabbed Ella's drink. I handed it to her and sighed. She took it and turned back to Fang's laptop, where she was playing some game. I stood up and grabbed Fang's hand, taking him out of the room.

"Thank you." I said, smiling over at him. "I can't believe I would be so stupid and leave her home." I said, shaking my head.

"It's not your fault. She's fourteen, she can be home alone. It's just the timing." He assured me. I felt hot tears prickle into my eyes and I frowned. "I'm just glad I was here was I was." He added, looking over at Ella.

"Thank you." I said again, following his gaze and watching my sister. I felt my tears fall down my cheeks and I sniffled.

"Come here," He said, pulling me into his arms. I didn't argue. "Look, I'm sorry." He muttered in my ear. "For everything. I'm so sorry." He added.

I pulled back from him and looked into his eyes. They were sparkling, the deep brown brimming with his own tears. He was sincere. He kissed my forehead gently and wrapped me into his arms. I dug my head into his chest. I felt him stiffen and I looked up at him, curious. I noticed her was staring at something over my shoulder. I followed his gaze and saw Ella, a slow grin spreading across her face as she looked at us.

* * *

Okay, so that was your extra long chapter. I hoped it would make up for the three weeks that I haven't written anything! This was very Max and Iggy oriented because I feel like he has barely been in the story. I'm setting up a new plot line (this story will NOT have five more chapters anymore. It'll have a lot more than that, actually.) So I felt that I should add in some more humor and goofy-ness with Iggy. It's just a lot more fun with him. : )

I don't want to make this the overly cliché, 'Max gets abused' story but I needed something extra to add into the story for that special ending with Max and Fang. Also, I'm not really sure what happens with abuse cases and what not so I'm kind of making things up as I go. Just keep that in mind as you read so you won't get all confused. So, I'm sorry if you didn't like that I added that in but it has relevance to the story!

Thank you so much for reading and please review with your thoughts or ideas for this story!


	17. Chapter 17

Hey everyone! I'm FINALLY updating!

I know it's not an excuse but things really have been busy lately what with school and work and doctors and what not. Hopefully I haven't lost any of my readers in the 6 weeks that haven't updated. I get out of school on June 16 so after then my updates will be speeding up but as for right now, I really need to focus on my schoolwork! Sorry!

Anyways, here's the next chapter!

* * *

"Max! Get your butt down here and help me!" screamed a voice from the stairwell. I groaned and stood up off of my bed, dragging my feet down the hallway and to the stairs. Sure it was Christmas Eve and maybe I was excited for Christmas Day, but I really didn't want Fang to come over.

I made it over to the bottom of the stairs and just stared at my mom. She was already dressed and ready to go. She had a deep red dress on with black high heels and a big onyx necklace placed on her collarbone. Her hair was curled naturally down her back and she had a red and white striped apron on over her dress.

"You didn't get dressed yet?" She asked me, her eyes widening as she took in my baggy sweatpants and Penn State sweatshirt. I just raised an eyebrow and she shook her head. "Go do something in the kitchen. Wait no go dust something or something."

I smiled at the panicked expression on her face and I laughed a little. "Mom, go upstairs and relax," I said, grabbing a cloth out of her hand. "I'll get Ella in here and we'll finish cleaning." She just looked at me skeptically before sighing and walking away. I smiled and walked into the living room.

"Ells, come on we have to clean." I said, watching Ella shoot someone in the video game. Geez, she really was addicted. "Now!" I added sternly before turning on my heel and striding out of the room.

I went into the cabinet where we kept all of our cleaning materials and searched around until I found something that removed dust. I grabbed the bright yellow can of Pledge and an old rag and began wiping everything wooden down. I almost scrubbed the kitchen table raw.

Ella followed in my example and cleaned everything glass related like windows and mirrors. I noticed that she too had not changed yet. I planned on waiting until last minute to put on my dress. Dressing up once in awhile is fun but not all the time. I glanced over at the clock and saw that we only had an hour before Fang and his dad were supposed to come but knowing them, they would be a half hour late.

I groaned and thought for a minute. Did I really not want Fang to come over? I mean, he did help Ella when I wasn't there to help her so I guess that counts for something, right? Maybe if he comes over we can work things out and maybe, just maybe, everything could go back to the way it was.

Sure, my feeling had changed for him drastically. I wasn't even sure how I felt about him anymore. I was torn between love and hate; lust and revulsion and let me tell you, feeling like that about your ex-best friend becoming your best friend again is not fun.

Everything that had been happening lately just made me more and more confused. If what Ella said was true and Fang loved me, then why would he go to the dance with Lissa and why would he try so hard to hurt both me and himself? And if what I told Ella was true, and I really did fall for Fang, then I was I having these feelings about Sam and even Josh. All of that just confused me even more.

I knew what Sam had been up to but where was Josh? I hadn't seen him since before the break. I should really start trying to keep track of my own friends, that is, if we are friends. Josh had made it clear that he like me, or was I just imagining it? He did already ask to go to prom with me and didn't I say yes?

I felt my heart ache as I thought about that day. I had been secretly hoping that Fang would ask me prom since the ninth grade. Sad, yeah I know. It wasn't that I like him way back then, it was that I just thought it would be amazing if we went together but as I got older, I guess I matured and started to look at things more romantically.

I sighed inwardly as I finished cleaning the keys on the piano. Immediately memories flooded my mind. Only two people have ever played this piano. Well, only two people who have played the piano who actually knew how to. Ella used to take lessons as a child. She was so excited but when she was nine she broke her wrist and had so many problems with it that she couldn't play again because it hurt too much.

Then there was Fang, who played beautifully. He had actually taught himself to play piano even though his parents paid for guitar lessons since he was a kid. I remember sitting on the piano bench with Fang, back when the both of us could fit on it with room to spare. I just watched his hands glide across the ivory and black keys gracefully as the sound floated through my ears. I would always just play with one or two keys at the end of the keyboard but no matter what I did, it just made his playing sound bad so eventually I didn't even play. I just watched and listened.

I sighed and say down, staring at the piano, unable to get Fang out of my head. I had a hard time admitting it to myself but I did it and I was about to do it again. It was a weird feeling and I definitely should not have been feeling it but that was just a price to pay for the wonderful creation of hormones. What was I unable to admit to myself? Maybe it was that I was truly, not a good cook or maybe it was that I was probably the most uncoordinated person on the planet but it was probably the fact that I had fallen absolutely head over heels for Fang.

I felt a cool burst of liquid on my face and I squeezed my eyes closed. I put down the cleaning supplies I had been holding and wiped my eyes, making sure nothing got in them. "Go get dressed! They're going to be here any minute!" Ella shouted, flicking more water off of her hands and onto me. I glared at her as I wiped more water off of my nose.

"Fine, fine I'm going." I said, grabbing the Pledge and the rag and putting them away. I glanced back at her, seeing that her hair was already straightened and her eyes lined with black. She was wearing a deep blue dress that went to her knee. I smiled and stormed up the stairs.

I fell through the door of my room and fell backwards onto my bed. I tried to envision my closet, thinking of what I could possibly wear but for some reason I couldn't concentrate on anything. I sighed and stood up, not really caring too much about what I looked like, like usual.

I reached into my closet and pulled out a light purple dress that was tight around the waist and flowed down to my knees. I slipped it on and walked around to my dresser. I pulled my hair out of its hair tie and ran my fingers through my hair. I turned and walked out of my room, bounding down the stairs.

"Max! Perfect timing!" My mom said as she took her apron off and fixed her hair in the mirror that was in the hallway. "Ella just saw the guys walking over."

"Cool." I said, still deciding on whether or not I wanted them to come. I wanted to be close to Fang but at the same time I wanted to run so far away that no one would ever find me.

I turned on my heel and went into the living room, sitting on the couch next to Ella. Of course, she was playing video games. "You do know that you won't be able to play those all night, right?" I asked, looking over at her out of the corner of my eye.

"I know, that's why I'm playing now. I'm trying to get it out of my system." She said, not looking up at me. Her eyes were glued to the television.

I sighed, "I think you need to go to a V.G.A meeting." I said, inwardly laughing at my own joke.

"What are you talking about?" She asked dryly, glancing over at me. I frowned; I guess I wasn't as funny as I thought I was.

"Video game anonymous." I said, standing up as I heard the doorbell ring. I saw my mom scramble as she put on her lipstick before opening the door. What was the big deal about them coming over? I followed her over to the door and stood behind her as Ella turned off her games.

"Hello John!" my mom said, hugging Mr. Keyes. Fang walked in behind them. I looked up at him, seeing his bright white smile gleaming. I felt Ella moving next to me.

"Well if you aren't going to hug him, I will!" She said, jumping into Fang's arms. He smiled into her hair and picked her up gently. I heard her giggling and wished it was that easy for Fang and I to be that close again. I figured, why not try?

Ella and Fang began talking briefly as my mom strode into the kitchen to get appetizers. Mr. Keyes walked up to me. "Max, how have you been?" He asked, giving me a stiff hug.

"I've been well, how about yourself?" I said, trying to be polite as I hugged him back. I gave him a reassuring smile and tried not to feel too bad for him.

"It's been different but I'm working through it," He said, reasonably. "But I did get that merger that I went on that business trip for." He added, smiling.

"That's great!" I said, grinning. I reached over and hugged him again. He gratefully took the hug and took a few steps into the house. I turned around and saw that Fang was still standing there. "Where did Ella go?" I asked, looking around for her.

"She went to go help your mom with the food." he said in the deep voice I missed so much. I sighed and rocked back and forth on the balls of my feet. "Max, you know that it doesn't have to be like this, right?" I turned and looked up at him.

"What are you talking about? It doesn't have to be like what?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"Awkward I guess," he said, shrugging. "We used to be best friends so why can't we go back to that again?" I sighed, he was voice my exact thoughts.

"I guess it doesn't have to be like that." I said, looking up into his deep brown eyes. The feeling I got when our eyes connected sent a shiver down my spine. His eyes widened a fraction of an inch as he watched me briskly rub my arms. I watched him, confused, as he took off his jacket. He took a step closer to me and gently put his jacket around my shoulders. I slid my arms into the sleeves as he maneuvered it around me.

We just stood there, him towering over me, his arms resting on mine since he didn't move them after putting the jacket on me. The overpowering scent of something that I couldn't place wafted off of him. It wasn't the chemical kind of scent either. It was just a sweet, outdoorsy smell that really fit Fang perfectly. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply before jumping up and hugging him.

I threw my arms around his neck and after a second of shock, he wrapped his arms around me and pressed me closer to him. I smiled into the crook of his neck and I could hear him sigh into my hair. It would be impossible for anyone to miss someone more than I missed Fang. I didn't even realize how much I really needed him.

We must have stayed like that for five minutes before I heard a squeal from behind me. I took my head out from his chest and turned around, seeing Ella jumping up and down. The looks on our faces must have told her that she needed to go. She turned around and ran out of the room, squealing.

I felt Fang reach out to me and wipe away a tear on my face that I hadn't realized was there. "I missed you." I muttered, refusing to look at him.

"Good," He answered smugly. I looked up at him in shock and he smiled softly. "because I was dying without you." I tried not to smile but a grin just spread across my face. He grabbed my hand and smiled, leading me into the dining room, where our parents were.

"Hey guys." My mom said, smiling at us. She knew what happened over the last few months so now, she was beaming. "Want something to drink?" She asked, gesturing over to the wine. Our parents really didn't mind us having a glass of wine on occasion.

"No thanks mom." I said, shaking my head. I didn't normally have wine unless it was a wedding or something like that.

"Fang?" my mom asked, looking at him expectantly. His father glanced over at him but Fang didn't realize. Fang glanced down at me and grabbed my hand inconspicuously.

"No, I don't drink." He said, smiling. "Thanks anyway though." He added politely. My mom's smile only got bigger and bigger.

"Why don't you kids go hang out upstairs until dinner is ready." my mom said, winking. I groaned and shook my head. "Ella is playing that game again. She really does like it." she added.

Fang and I nodded and walked over to the stairs. Right before we went upstairs he stopped dead, a concentrated look on his face. He walked over to the piano and sat down. A slow smile crept across my face and I sat down next to him.

He uncovered the keys and ran his fingers across them. He started to press down on them gently, not trying to make a lot of noise. As his fingers ran across the keys he started to play louder and faster. I occasionally felt his arm brush against me and each time it happened, he looked over at me and gave a smile.

I heard footsteps in the distance and saw my mom and Mr. Keyes standing in the doorway out of the corner of my eye. I placed two fingers on the keys, deciding if I should attempt to play or not but I decided against it. I let my hand drop onto my lap.

Fang stopped playing abruptly and turned to look at me. He reached around my and put his arms around me, putting his hands over mine on the keys. He guided my hands across the keyboard and I felt his warmth. I fit into his arms perfectly and my head started to spin but I tried to ignore it and concentrate on our hands. Fang slowed the pace of our fingers and I smiled to myself as he played the last few notes. I felt like his puppet but I didn't mind.

As we played the last note, there was applause behind us. We both turned to see our parents standing in the doorway, wine glasses in hand. I smirked, knowing that they were going to be drinking all night as they caught up. I felt my cheeks get hot as they turned three shades redder. Fang saw my expression and grabbed my hand, pulling me upstairs. He led me into my room and I shut my door behind me.

"I haven't played since before Nudge died." Fang said absentmindedly. I walked over to him and put my hand on his shoulder.

"Why did you choose now to play then?" I asked, curious as to what was going through his head. "I mean why didn't you wait until you got home or something?"

He turned and looked at me, his eyes shining. "I don't know. It was kind of an impulse." He said, shrugging. "You know, you actually aren't that bad."

"Are you joking?" I asked, looking at him incredulously. "You were doing all of the work. I can't play but I wish I could." I added.

"You want to learn?" He asked, looking at me curiously.

I nodded and said, "Ever since I was little. I would always pretend that I was as good as you or Ella." I admitted, blushing.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked. I shrugged, looking away from him. "You know, I can teach you if you want." He said almost hopefully.

"Really?" I asked, a smile quickly spreading across my face. "That would be awesome!" I said, grinning.

He smiled, as he sat down on my bed. I watched him carefully as he looked up at me. I pulled the sides of his jacket tighter around me and sat down next to him. I opened my mouth to say something but hesitated. "Thank you." I said, looking up at him.

"For what?" He asked, bewildered. His eyes held confusion even though his face was like a rock. "What did I do?"

"For the other day," I clarified. "For helping Ella" I added, giving him more information. "I should have been home but I was being stupid. I shouldn't have left her here." I said, mentally scolding myself.

"Relax," He said, rubbing my back gently. "I was happy to do it. I wanted to kill Jeb though." He said, gritting his teeth. I put my head on his shoulder and nodded. "Where were you anyway, if you don't mind me asking?" He said nervously, as if he was scared to find out what the answer was.

"I was at Iggy's." I said, thinking back to that day. I felt Fang's shoulder relax under my cheek. Had he really been that tense? "We went to the mall and got a ton of candy and movies so we had a movie marathon." I added, giving more detail.

"Oh," He said, relaxing. "Did you have fun?" He asked, looking down at me.

"Yeah," I said in a 'duh' tone. "This is Iggy we're talking about. Nothing is boring when you're around him." He chuckled and nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.

It was silent for a few minutes but it was the enjoyable kind of silence, not the awkward kind. It must have been about five minutes before Fang spoke again. "Look, I'm really sorry about everything that has gone on lately." He said, looking down at me as he continued to rub my back.

"It's not your fault," I said, frowning. "It's been hard."

"How is it not my fault?" He asked doubtingly. "I'm the one that-that hit you. I'm the one that got jealous when those rumors about you and Iggy started. I'm the one who got drunk and relied on you to help me. I'm the one who broke our friendship by hanging out with Duncan. I'm the one didn't do anything at the dance when he was talking about you." he said, frowning.

"Relax, relax, its okay." I said, shushing him. "It's all over now anyway so what does it matter?" I asked rhetorically. He sighed and nodded. I could tell that he still felt bad though. I reached over and grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. I stopped for a second and thought.

"Did you just say you were jealous?" I asked, looking up at him. "You did, didn't you?"

He sighed and it looked as though he was having a battle with himself. "Yeah, I did." He said, avoiding my gaze. "I mean, why should Ig get a great girl like you?" He said, frowning.

"And you think that _you_ should get a 'great girl like me'?" I asked, smiling slightly.

"Well, yeah." He answered cockily. He gave me a smug smile and I stuck my tongue out at him. "But the thing is, Max, you're too good for him. You're too good for me. You're too good for any being on this planet." He said, giving me a delicate smile. I blushed slightly and stared into his eyes.

"I was about to say the same to you." I said, staring at him. I took a deep breath and swallowed my pride. "And, um, I have to tell you something." He looked at me curiously and I opened my mouth to continue.

"Max! Fang! Dinner!" Ella screamed as she threw open the door. I glared over at her and frowned, somewhat glad that she interrupted. Telling Fang that I liked him would be a big mistake. Ella turned and ran down the stairs again. Once I couldn't hear her footsteps anymore I stood up. I straightened out my dress and turned around, coming face to chest with Fang. I took a step back and sighed, quickly walking out of the room. He stood there for a second before following me.

"Wait, Max!" Fang called after me. I stopped dead right before I took the first step downstairs. I turned around and looked at him. "What did you want to tell me?" He asked, stepping in front of me.

"Nothing. It's nothing. Don't worry about it." I said quickly. He gave me a skeptical look and I frowned. "Please don't make me say it." I pleaded.

"Say it." Was all he said. I groaned and threw my head back, rubbing my eyes. I opened them and stared at the doorway. My eyes widened to about the size of dinner plates. Fang must have seen this because he looked up as well. When he saw what I was looking at, he didn't react the way I did. Instead of internally freaking out, he just looked back down at me and grabbed my hand.

I looked back at him and as soon as I did, my knees went weak from his expression. For once, I couldn't read him and it scared me. He pulled me closer to him and let go of my hand, moving it to my waist instead. I felt my body being pressed gently against his as he leaned down, gently cupping my cheek with his free hand. I looked up at him, my lips parting slowly. He carefully maneuvered down to me and placed a soft kiss on the corner of my lips. I watched his eyes close and I did the same, moving my hands from their stiff spot at my sides up and into his hair. He kissed my lower lip and I felt warmth go through me.

I felt a small vibrate and I broke away from him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. I read the name carefully and sighed. Lissa. He answered his phone with a "Hey babe." and I felt my heart drop into my stomach. Babe? Why did he call her babe? I reached up and tore the mistletoe (a.k.a. the cause of every romantic problem out there). I strode down the stairs, not willing to listen to Fang talk to Lissa. Were they going out? I mean, they did go to the Christmas dance together, but why did he just kiss me?

I threw the mistletoe into a drawer that no one went into anymore. I would get it later. It caused too much trouble already. I closed the drawer shut and walked into the dining room, where everyone except Fang was waiting. I tried to act as if nothing was wrong but it was hard.

"Where's Fang?" My mom asked as she set the lasagna on the table. "He was upstairs with you, right?"

I nodded as I sat down, "Lissa called him. I think he is still talking to her." I said, trying not to frown.

I saw Mr. Keyes roll his eyes and I guess I wasn't the only one. "What? You don't like Lissa?" my mom asked him.

He sighed, looking for words, "It's not that I don't like her; she's a sweet girl. It's that I just think she is wrong for the boy. It's kind of obvious." he said, looking at us seriously. "But don't tell him I said that!" He said, panicked.

"Don't worry," My mom said, "It'll be our little secret."

"Well you aren't the only one!" Ella piped up from next to me. "I don't really like those two together. I think he would be better with someone like Max!" She said, grinning at me innocently. I kicked her beneath the table causing her to cry out in pain.

"Yeah, I can see that." Mr. Keyes said, winking over at me. I flushed and looked down as Fang walked in.

"Why is it so quiet in here?" He asked, causing all of us to look up and make up random excuses ranging from 'someone farted' to 'a flying monkey just flew in'. We are a very dysfunctional group of people.

"Anyway," My mom said, sitting down. We all had our seats around the table. "Let's say grace, shall we?" I reached over and grabbed Ella's hand as Fang took mine. My mom led us in it but all I could concentrate on was my hand in Fang's. Once my mom finished, everyone let go of each other's hands in order to get food. I went to pull my hand back but he held on. I pulled harder and took a deep breath. He had a girlfriend. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't act like that with him.

The rest of dinner just went like a normal dinner would. There was great conversation, amazing food, and just a few awkward moments between Fang and I. Did I ask for those moments to be awkward? No. Were they awkward anyway? Yes.

Soon enough, it was time for Fang and his father to leave because it was well past twelve o'clock. I tried to give Fang his jacket back but he insisted that I keep it for now at least. He started to act pretty weird towards the end of the night. He left his phone in my room so he had to go up and get it. Immediately after that, he left without another word.

I decided that I was just going to go to bed. I would take a shower and all that in the morning. I changed into my pajamas as soon as I reached my room and I collapsed onto my bed. I wanted to fall asleep immediately but there was something hard under my pillow. I reached over to my lamp and turned it on, looking under my pillow, expecting to see a book or something there but instead, there was a box with a card labeled, 'Merry Christmas Max.'

* * *

Again, I am SO sorry about the delay of the chapters! I'm going to try to update more often! Hopefully this made up for the lack of chapters. It was a look into the mind of Max!

Please review!


	18. Chapter 18

Hey everyone,

Okay, so once again, I am SO sorry about not updating. Even though this isn't a very good excuse, things by me have been pretty crazy and even though it's summer, I'm finding no time to do anything. If it wasn't for me getting an e-mail from someone named 'blah' reminding me to update. I haven't even checked my e-mail in two months. I have over 130 e-mails waiting to be read!

Anyways, onwards to the next chapter!

* * *

I reached over to the lamp on my bedside table and flicked the switch. I closed my eyes tightly as the lamp turned on and waited for my eyes to adjust to the light coming off of it. I looked down and took a closer look at the card. I saw 'Merry Christmas Max' written in the center of it in Fang's messy scrawl. I smiled as I turned it over and gently broke the seal. I tried to go as fast as I could without completely ruining the card.

I felt my heart drop in my chest as I unfolded the paper. I had no idea what could possibly be written on it but, knowing Fang, there was something that I wouldn't forget anytime soon. Only he had that sentimental effect on me.

I took a deep breath and started to read:

_Dear Max,_

_Whenever you may be reading this, whether it is tonight, or a week from now, I hope you find everything to be okay. I know that our friendship hasn't been the best and I know that I've done a lot of really stupid things but I really hope you can maybe look past that. As far as I am concerned, we have made our peace but sometimes, things still don't feel like they used to and I'm not sure they will ever feel like that again._

_By now, you should know that I have been… different recently and I hope that I have changed. I know it hurt you when you saw me with those guys and it took me this long to realize that that. I just wanted you to know that that part of me is over. I'm never going back to that and, again, I'm sorry for any bad feelings caused by me._

_What I have to tell you next might be obvious but I think that if I don't tell you soon, I might just explode. It's kind of confusing but I'll do my best to explain it to you. You see, we've been friends for as long as I can remember and I would not trade our friendship for anything and I hope you feel the same way. It's taken me so long to figure out why I have always reacted to things, good or bad, happening to you rather than anyone else. The truth is that I like you. No, not in the best friend forever kind of way but in the I get jealous every time I see you with another guy, and I couldn't stand seeing someone else hold you after I had hurt you. Now, comes the confusing part;_

_Lissa. She asked me out and I said yes. I don't know why, but my gut told me to go out with her and I'm glad I did. I know what you must be thinking, but I know that I don't have a chance with you. You're beautiful, smart, funny, amazing, and just perfect while I'm just plain 'ol Fang. _

_I just needed you to know all of this before we become friends again and try to put together all of the things that have become broken in our friendship. If you don't want to be friends again, its fine and I understand, I just needed you to know. I hope we will be friends and I wish that nothing will change but I know that it will. _

_Merry Christmas Max. _

I bit my lip as I folded up the note again, trying to figure out how I felt. I mean, I finally knew how I felt about Fang and he goes and tells me that he feels the same way only he has a girlfriend? I just didn't know how to react to that. I didn't have a really big problem with Lissa, I mean she was really nice and everything but I didn't know if I could stand her dating Fang.

I reached over to the box and picked it up, gently tearing off the gold wrapping paper. I opened the rectangular box and pulled out what was inside; a picture frame. I turned it over and almost burst out laughing. The only thing that stopped me was thinking of the picture.

It was of me and Fang on the first day of high school. I was in my normal jeans and tee shirt and he was in his normal black attire. I smiled down to the looks on our faces. I was standing in front of Fang and was holding my books tightly to my chest. I looked so nervous. Fang, on the other hand, had his hands up like he was going to attack me and had his mouth open, showing his unusually sharp teeth. I smiled and looked in the background, seeing Iggy sitting on the sidewalk. He had been going through a hair dying phase and at the time, he had bright blue hair. He never heard the end of it from us.

"Max?" Ella said, looking into my room and making me come back down to earth. "What are you looking at so lovingly?" She added, smirking.

I smiled, "This picture that Fang gave to me," I said as I stroked my fingers along the smooth frame. Suddenly Ella's words caught up to me and I frowned, "And I was _not_ looking at it lovingly! I was looking at it normally, like a normal person!"

"Yeah, like you could ever be a normal person." She said, walking into my room and plopping down beside me on my bed. She leaned over my shoulder and started looking at the picture.

"Our first day of high school," I said, grinning, "probably the worst day of all of our lives." I said, chuckling. She smiled and scooted over, looking at the picture closer up.

"What's this?" She said, pulling the letter out from under her. She must have sat on it when she moved over. "Well obviously it's from Fang." She said, looking at the front.

"How do you know?" I asked, wondering how she always knew when something involved Fang.

"He's the only one on the planet with handwriting this bad." She said giggling. "But I also saw you smiling and frowning at the same time while reading it. Only he can make you smile-frown." She said, now smirking.

"Ah, good point." I said, looking from her back down to the picture. "Wait, how long have you been standing there?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Ever since you opened the letter. I wanted to know if he got anything for me!" She said, smiling. I reached over and smacked her over the head and she just laughed. "No, I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Thanks Ells." I said, smiling over at my sister. I watched as she opened the letter and started to read it. I fell onto my pillow, burying my face in the covers so I wouldn't have to look at her once she finished. I occasionally heard a gasp or felt her nod as she mumbled the letter out loud. I tried to think of what to do once she read it and demanded for me to explain. Maybe I could tell her a joke that is funny enough so she won't stop laughing and will forget what she wants to say.

"Oh my gosh, Max, you have to explain this!" She said, just like I thought she would.

"Uh," I stammered, not knowing what to do. "Knock knock!" I said, thinking that this plan might actually work.

She looked over at me like I was crazy, "What? Max, are you drunk?"

"Knock knock!" I pushed, trying to get her to answer. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Fine, who's there?" She asked, glaring over at me.

I searched my brain, mentally kicking myself for not thinking of a joke beforehand. "Uh, cargo!" I said, smiling in accomplishment that I thought of a joke.

"Cargo who?" She said, playing along. Somehow, I didn't thing this plan was going to work anymore. She wasn't being that cooperative.

"Car go vroom vroom!" I almost shouted, bursting into fake hysterical laughter. I squeezed my eyes shut and hoped that Ella would either laugh or just leave so I didn't have to explain anything.

"Max?" She said, I opened my eyes and stopped laughing. "Did you get into the alcohol? I'm serious; I think you might be drunk!"She said seriously. I nodded and fell backwards onto my pillows. "You know what; I'll grill you about this tomorrow. I'm tired anyway. Goodnight." She said, standing up and walking out of my room and into hers.

After I heard her door slam shut, I could've sworn that I was sitting on my bed in astonishment for at least five minutes thinking that my joke had actually gotten her to leave. Maybe someone somewhere was on my side. I had time to think things through and to actually think of how I was going to explain what was going on. I sighed and leaned over to the lamp and flicked it off. I pulled the covers over my face and curled up, trying not to think about anything.

I woke up the next morning in the best mood ever. I had dreamt of rainbows and unicorns and pooped butterflies. I know what you're thinking, 'Max dreaming about unicorns?' No, I didn't actually dream about unicorns but I was going to pretend I did.

I must have had twenty dreams and each and every one of them was about Fang. I couldn't get this boy out of my head. I sat up and looked over at the clock. It read 7:49. Why is it that no one can ever sleep in on Christmas morning? I dragged my feet out of bed and blindly grabbed a clean towel off of my dresser. I walked down the hall and into the bathroom so I could take a shower. I dropped my towel on the counter and turned on the water, letting it get as hot as it goes. I turned on the faucet, splashed cold water on my face to try and wake myself up, and looked at the mirror, taking in what I saw. I had two contradicting thoughts in my mind and they didn't make any sense. What did I have in me that made Fang like me? And what did Lissa have that I didn't? See? I told you they made no sense.

As soon as my view in the mirror was clouded by the steam, I turned away. I quickly undressed and slid into the shower, trying to avoid getting too cold. I closed my eyes and let the hot water fall down on me. I inhaled deeply and felt my stuffy nose start to clear up. I did my usual routine; wash, rinse, repeat, and got out of the shower after what felt like a century. I wrapped my fluffy towel around me and grabbed my clothes. I walked down the hallway and back into my room, where I dressed in clean clothes. I quickly checked my e-mail, only to see a YouTube video I got from Iggy. After I watched that, it was already nine o'clock so I went into Ella's room to see if she was up.

Of course, she wasn't. I grabbed my hair and squeezed all of the excess water out of it and onto Ella's face. After the first few drops, she jumped up and spazzed out.

"What was that for?" She screeched, wiping the water off of her nose. Unlike me, she had taken a shower the previous night.

"I don't know." I said sleepily. "You were asleep and I was bored." I explained, shrugging. She glared at me and wiped her cheek on her sleeve.

"That was mean!" She said, frowning. I shrugged again and gave her a look saying 'I know'.

"What is going on in here?" My mom said, walking into the room, fully dressed. "All I heard was a scream. Max, what did you do?" She asked, knowing this situation all too well.

"I got her wet." I said, turning around to face my mom.

"That's it?" She said, looking between the two of us. I nodded and she added, "Next time you decide to pick on each other do it when I'm not home."She said, holding up her lip stick. I had just realized that Ella had scared her when she screeched and now she had a line of red going up her cheek. Ella and I looked at each other and simultaneously started laughing. My mom left muttering about how weird we were.

"I want cake." Ella said, jumping out of bed and putting her hair into a ponytail. "Do you think it's too early for cake, because I want cake?" She said, rambling on as we walked down the stairs. I tuned her out, seeing as I was still really tired.

"So you never told me what was with that note." Ella said as I sat down. She pulled the remains of the cake out of the fridge and brought over two forks. We didn't bother to cut it any further; we just started eating from the center of it.

"I don't actually know." I said, taking my first bite. "It confused me so much." I added, going back for more.

"Well he said that he likes you," She brought up, "So that's a really good thing, right?"

I looked at her grimly, "It would be if he didn't have a girlfriend."

"Good point." She agreed, "It would be a bad idea to try and break them up." She said, snapping me out of my thoughts. That was exactly what I was thinking about doing. "If you do that then Fang might get mad at you. Anyway, if he likes you as much as he said he does then when they break up he'll still like you." She said, taking the biggest bite of cake I'd ever seen. "Right? But maybe if you tell him you feel the same way then he'll break up with her for you!"

"Yeah, sure." I scoffed, glancing out the window. I dropped my fork into the cake and sighed. "I'll be back." I said distractedly. She looked at me confused and watched me as I went to the sliding door in the back of the kitchen. I felt the first smile of the day fall onto my lips as I saw Fang sitting in a tree in his backyard. I grabbed my sweatshirt from the hook and shoved my feet into boots and opened the door, walking out into the freshly fallen snow.

I walked over to the divider between the two houses and put my hood up; shoving my hands in my pockets after I walked through the gate our parents had put in many years ago. I went over to the tree he was sitting in, in his usual black attire. He had his eyes closed and was leaning against the tree.

I looked up at him and smiled, "Hey".

He jumped slightly and took his iPod out of his ears. He looked down at me from the branch and I saw a smile forming on his lips. He reached his hand out to me and I took up, letting him help pull me up to the branch he was sitting on.

"Hi," He said, now actually smiling at me. "So I see that you aren't mad at me." He observed, looking at my unkempt appearance. I was in fuzzy boots, flannel pants, and a sweatshirt with my hair a mess but I didn't mind.

"I'm not mad. Why would I be?" I asked, wondering why I would be mad at him.

"Did you read the letter?" He asked, his eyebrows coming together. "Or did I leave it in someone else's room by accident? It's not the first time I've done that." He said, remembering when he had made a copy of a blackmail picture of me and accidentally left it in Ella's room.

"No, you put it in my room," I said, reassuring him. "And I read it last night." I said, looking over at him.

"What do you think?" he asked, wondering about where I stood.

I sighed and decided to take one for the team. "I think that you should do what makes you happy and as far as I can tell, Lissa makes you happy." I said, feeling a piece of my heart slowly die. He looked over at me and I could tell he was kind of shocked that I said that.

"What do you think about the rest of the letter?" He asked hesitantly. "You did read the whole thing, right?" He said, chuckling.

"I did, don't worry." I said, joining his laughter. "I don't know what I think about the rest of it." I said, telling the truth. I didn't know what to think of it. Did he really feel that way, or was it just a try at becoming friends again?

"Oh," He said, looking down at his hands. He played with his headphones and I smiled over at him.

"Let's just forget about it for now." I said, putting my head on his shoulder. "How about we just have a good Christmas?"

"We?" he asked, smiling down at me. I nodded into his shoulder and I felt his whole body relax. He reached his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. I smiled. It actually was just like old times. "So I see you really like my sweatshirt." He said, tugging the sleeve a little bit.

I looked down at it and chuckled, "I didn't even realize I was wearing it." I said, looking up at him. "But, yes, I really like your sweatshirt." I agreed.

"Is it because it smells so good?" he asked smugly. "I believe I do smell pretty damn good!"

I laughed out loud and smiled. "Yeah I guess but only if you think that Axe and sweat smells good." I said, sticking my tongue out at him. I heard him gasp and look down at me.

"You really think I smell that bad?" he asked, frowning. Fang never wore any kinds of cologne. For some reason he always hated the smell.

"No," I said, straightening up. "You smell amazing!" I said, elbowing him. It was the truth. He did smell amazing.

"Fang! Max!" A voice called out. We both jumped and looked over at the back door to Fang's house. I saw Fang's dad standing in the doorframe with a cup of hot coffee. "Max, your family is already over here. Come on!" he said quickly, then closed the door, trying to get out of the cold.

"Let's go." He said, jumping down from the tree. "Why is your family at my house?" he asked, waiting for me to jump down.

"I don't know." I said, thinking of my mom this morning. She was already ready to go. Maybe this was why. I jumped down and as soon as I landed, I felt my ankle buckle beneath me. I let out a cry of pain and I fell onto the snow.

"Oh geez, Max, are you okay?" Fang asked, jumping over to me. I nodded and stood up quickly, trying not to make a big deal. "No, no, no!" he said, "You aren't walking on that! You've had problems with your ankle for years!" I looked up at him, surprised that he remembered that.

"Well what else am I supposed to do? Just sit here?" I asked sarcastically. He held out his arms like he was going to carry me. "No! There is no way I'm going to let you carry me! It's not even ten yards away!" I groaned as he came over to me and tried to scoop me up bridal style. I attempted to push him away while standing on one foot. We all know how that ends. I fell back down into the snow and Fang used this as an excuse to jump at the chance to grab me. He pulled me over his shoulder and held me there as he walked to the door.

He walked inside and closed the door behind him before turning to our families. By now, I was laughing hysterically. " Ms. Martinez," he said, turning to my mom, who was looking at us like we were crazy. "Your daughter really needs to get more coordinated."

"Hey!" I shouted, pounding his back. "I am coordinated! You just don't see when I am because you are always carrying me places!" I added grimly.

"Max, are you crazy?" My mom asked, "Yesterday you tripped over a piece of paper. You really need some help!" She said laughing.

"I can help her!" Ella said evilly as she tapped her fingers as if she was plotting a revenge attack for me. I shouldn't have dried my hair on her face this morning.

"No!" I shouted, pounding on Fang's back again. He groaned and took me over to the couch, where he practically dropped me on my head. I fell onto the cushions and winced as my ankle bounced.

"Are you okay?" he asked, sitting on the arm of the couch.

"What did she do now?" Fang's dad asked, not letting me finish. I stuck my tongue out at him and turned back to Fang.

"I jumped out of the tree and landed on my ankle." I explained. My mom and sister's faces came across as worried seeing as my ankle's history was not very good. "I'm fine though." I reassured them. They both nodded but Ella looked at me skeptically.

"Okay, well we're just waiting Iggy and his family." Fang's dad said as he filled his coffee. "We decided last night that it would be nice to spend some time together seeing as we haven't in ages."

"Yes, are families haven't seen each other in ages!" my mom said, smiling over at Fang and I. Our parents broke apart in conversation and I turned to Fang.

"Thanks." I said, turning to put my leg on the coffee table so he could sit next to me.

"For what?" He asked, curiously.

"For helping me. I would have killed myself walking back to the house." I said, smiling. "Thanks for forcefully picking me up even though I specifically told you not to." I added.

"Wait, so are you thanking me for not listening to you?" He said, amazed. "Wow, I'm going to not listen to you more often." he added, teasing me.

I elbowed him and laughed, "You better not!" He smiled and turned towards me, opening his mouth to say something when we heard the door open.

I felt a huge smile come on my lips when I heard Iggy shout, "Anyone home?" and walk into the living room. Fang 's smile faded and he whispered, "I'm going to get you some ice for your ankle." Before I could thank him, he left the room.

"Iggy!" Ella screamed, jumping up off of the chair she was in and running over to Iggy. He slid off his shoes just in time to be tackled by Ella. She hugged him tightly and it was becoming obvious she still had a crush on him. He just stood there awkwardly before gently hugging her back.

After Iggy tore her off of him he turned to me, "Maxie! You didn't even stand up to hug me!" He complained in a little kid voice.

"I hurt my ankle!" I said defending myself. "I can't stand up. Fang had to carry me, against my will, inside!" I said, watching him come around to the couch right as his parents walked in to greet mine and Fang's.

"Awe, Maxie!" he said, smirking over at me. "When will you stop hurting yourself?" he asked, gesturing to my multiple scars.

"When she can't walk anymore?" Fang guessed as he walked back in with the ice. He put it on my ankle gently and then turned and gave Iggy a 'man hug' saying, "Hey bro."

"Awe, look at the happy couple!" Ella said, looking at Fang and Iggy. Iggy turned bright red but Fang just smirked and I knew that he was planning a comeback.

"Sorry Ella, Iggy just loves me more." he said, hugging Iggy longer. Iggy got the idea and played along. Ella screeched and ran into the kitchen. After about five seconds the three of us all burst out laughing.

"Fang, man, how do you come up with those comebacks?" Iggy asked as he plopped down on the couch next to me. "They're genius!" he praised as Fang sat on the table next to my foot.

"It's a gift!" he said, grinning. It was nice to see Fang and Iggy goofing off like they used to. They were best friends and the only reason they stopped being so was because Iggy stayed by my side when I fought with Fang.

"Does anyone in there want hot chocolate?" My mom asked, peeking her head around the bend. The three of us screamed 'Yes' and she jumped at how loud we were. We all laughed again and I was glad that everything was mainly back to normal. I mean, sure I had the thought that Fang liked me floating in the back of my mind but I had my two best friends back.

"Hey Max, have you talked to Sam recently?" Iggy asked in a girly voice, turning to face me. He rested his arm on the back of the couch behind me. I glanced over at Fang, who was glaring at Iggy's arm, and shook my head. "It turns out that ever since the dance, he had taken a liking to Tess. She has liked him since, like, the third grade and I agreed to go to the dance with her to see if Sam would get jealous and all that jazz. Well, Tess decided to ask Sam out and he said yes!" He finished, taking a deep breath. He had said all of that in fewer than five seconds.

"Wait, so are they dating now?" I asked, getting excited.

"Yeah! They're together right now. Sam was telling me about it last night. He sounds really happy with it." He said, smiling over at me.

"Good for them!" I said, smiling. "I was wondering when Sam would get over me." I added, starting to laugh. "So now it's just you and me, Ig."

"What are you talking about?" Fang said, looking at Iggy and me skeptically.

"We're the only two not dating anyone." I said, looking over at Iggy.

"Yeah, you have Lissa, remember?" Iggy said, tapping Fang on the head. He chuckled and shoved Iggy's hand away. "Whoa, Max, we're like the ugly stepsisters and Fang is like Cinderella!" He said, getting excited.

"Did you really just say that?" Fang asked, laughing. "Why do I have to be Cinderella? I could never pull off blonde hair!"

"Well…" I said, leaning over and playing with his dark, practically black, hair. "No, you're right; you couldn't pull that off." I agreed.

"Awe, come on!" He complained. "Max, why can't you be Cinderella? You're blonde and you look good in dresses!"

I smiled at the thought of him thinking that I looked good in dresses but I immediately shut the thought down. "It's because I haven't met my prince charming! You've met your princess!" I said, meeting his eyes.

"I could, you know, be your prince charming." Iggy said, winking at me. I laughed and shook my head, leaning back on the couch. I looked over at Fang and saw him glaring at Iggy again. What was with that? He looked over at us and we began having a conversation with our eyes, something only we could do. "Is that a yes?" Iggy asked. I could hear him in the back of my mind as I stared at Fang's brown eyes. "Are you having one of your eye conversations? How do you do them? Why can't you teach me? They are so cool! I want to learn! Hello? Are you even listening? Max? Maxie? Fang? Fangy-poo?" He stopped talking and I glanced over at him, seeing my mom come in with three mugs of hot chocolate.

We each grabbed one and immediately took sips. Fang stopped and looked up. "Did you just call me Fangy-poo?" He asked Iggy.

"Uh, no?" Iggy said nervously but avoided eye contact with Fang. He just chuckled and took another sip from the mug.

I watched the parents and Ella come into the room and sit around the fire place. Ella, Fang, and I jumped into a conversation when Fang's dad caught our attention.

"Iggy?" He asked, waving a hand in front of his face. "Iggy, what are you doing?" He asked, concerned.

"I'm having a staring contest with the fireplace!" He answered as if it were normal. "Now be quiet! You're ruining my concentration!"

"Honey! Don't do that!" Iggy's mom said. It wasn't too out of the ordinary for her to be over protective. Ever since he almost gave himself brain damage with one of his 'creations', she's been very overprotective. "Honey, you could go blind!" She shouted.

"What are the chances of that, mom." He said, staring at the flames even more. "I'm not going to go blind!" He said, dismissing her.

"Son, listen to your mother." His dad said uninterested. Unlike his mother, Iggy's father just gave up trying to control Iggy because we all know that it was impossible.

"I won!" Iggy shouted, throwing his arms into the air! The whole room burst into laughter as Iggy did his touchdown dance. I smiled and sipped my hot chocolate, almost choking on a marshmallow.

"Oh, Max, Ella, I almost forgot." Fang's dad said, getting up and pulling something off of the mantle. He handed each of us an envelope and I put my hot chocolate down onto the table to look at it. Printed on the front was "Jeb Batchelder". "It's from your dad. It was delivered to our house by mistake. Fang and Iggy looked at me immediately and I looked up at Ella. She nodded to me and we both stood up. I was a bit wobbly, but Fang managed to hold me up as I leaned over to the fireplace and threw the unopened envelope into the flames. Ella did the same. I reached over and gave Ella a quick kiss on the forehead and then sat back down.

I felt Iggy grab my hand while Fang held Ella's. We look at each other and smiled. At least I had one problem dealt with. I never had to talk, deal with, or see my ex-father ever again and that- that gave me hope.

* * *

Okay everyone, so that was chapter 18. I didn't proof read it so please look past any spelling or grammatical errors you may see. I wanted to get this out to you guys so you can read it as fast as possible.

Again, I am SO sorry for the very late update but hopefully that chapter makes up for it?

Please review and tell me your thoughts!


	19. Chapter 19

Hey everyone, so two things before I update again…

1. I am SO sorry for the random hiatus! I had no idea that I was going to be taking such a long break from FanFiction! I won't bore you with the details and excuses of why I haven't really been on, but this summer has been really hard for my entire family.

2. I have had a lot of people reviewing and telling me that Fang is being out of character when it comes to Lissa and Max. As most of you may have noticed, I've been trying to make this as realistic as possible (the operative word there is _trying_) while also trying to keep the characters in character. I've been thinking that if Fang knows exactly what he wants when he wants it when he's only 17, it isn't very realistic. I think it makes a little more sense for his feelings to be more mixed up and that's what I've been trying to do. So, I'm sorry if it's coming off like he's being a jerk for liking Max but dating Lissa or if he's out of character because of it. I've mentioned many times that he would be pretty out of character in this story and… well he has. I just thought I'd clear that up a little.

Anyway, I won't stall anymore,

* * *

"Iggy, I told you, I really don't care!" I said into the phone as I walked around my room. "It has nothing to do with me so why should I get involved?" I added, hoping he would see it my way.

"Well you do like him, and don't tell me you don't because it's totally obvious, so I really think you might care just a little." he retorted, his voice sounding forced. I sighed; I wasn't going to argue anymore.

"Okay, look, I have no choice but to be happy and support him. It doesn't matter what I think because they are dating and I have no say in the matter. Let's just leave it at that." I said, hoping he would listen to me and, for once, not be too stubborn.

I heard him mumble something and then sigh, "Fine." he said and I smiled to myself.

"Good, now let's talk about something else." I said, "I'm getting sick of talking about Fang all the time."

"Okay, okay" he chuckled. I knew he wouldn't bring it up again. For some reason he really didn't like talking about Fang with me. "So, uh, hey what are you doing on New Years?" he asked hesitantly.

I thought for a second, "Nothing I think. My mom is going to some party for work and Ella is going to a friend's house for their usual 'party extravaganza'. Why?" I asked, curious as to what he was talking about.

"Well," he said excitedly, "Jimmy told Susie, who told Luke, who told John, who told David, who told Amanda, who told George, who told me that Alex is having a party and I would love to be your escort!"

"Iggy? Are you asking me out?" I asked timidly. "If you are, that's a wonderful way of wording it." I added chuckling.

I heard silence on the other end of the phone as I waited for Iggy to say something, "Uh, yeah. I-I guess I am." He stuttered. Iggy never stuttered.

"Relax, I'll come." I said, smiling again, "Don't get yourself all worked up and everyth- wait a minute, we don't even know a Susie; or a George." I suspected.

"Yeah, well, I was trying to make it sound like I had friends other than you and Fang." He said, laughing at himself.

"Sure," I said, hearing my mom call for Ella and I from downstairs. "I'll call you back tomorrow. I think dinner is ready." I said, not really wanting to get off of the phone.

"Great." He said and I could almost hear the smile on his face. "Why don't you just come over tomorrow? We can finish watching those scary movies we bought awhile back." He suggested.

"That sounds awesome." I said, smiling. "I'll be over at 12." We said our goodbyes and hung up. I dropped my phone on my bed and ran downstairs and into the kitchen, seeing my mom and sister already eating. I sat down in my usual seat and just sat there for a minute, a smile forming on my face. I shook my head and started serving myself.

"What's with you?" Ella asked, amused by my unusually good mood.

"Nothing," I lied badly. Even though she could tell, she let it go anyway. "Hey mom, do you mind if I go to a party on New Years? No one is going to be home anyway." I asked, hoping she would say yes.

"Whose party and who are you going with?" She asked, not looking up from her plate.

"It's Alex Diaz's party and I'm going with Iggy." I said, trying not to make it sound like he was 'escorting' me. The last thing I needed was my mom asking a ton of questions.

She looked over at me and I tried my best to look normal but I really wanted to go. "No smoking, no drinking, no drugs, you have to stay with Iggy the whole time, and I want your phone on you at all times." She said, directing her attention back down to her plate.

"Thank you!" I said, smiling. Usually, I didn't like parties. Actually, I hated them, but I was excited for this one. I was going with Iggy, and Fang was most likely going to be there. Maybe I'd even see Josh. I hadn't seen him in awhile. I took a bite of my spaghetti and meatballs as I played out situations that might happen over and over again in my head.

"Max?" Ella asked, looking over at me with pasta hanging out of her mouth, "Why are you so excited for this party? I mean, why are you even going to a party? I thought you hated them."She observed as she slurped the spaghetti back into her mouth.

"I don't know Ells, I just need a night out, you know?" She nodded and shrugged, shoving more pasta in her mouth. I chuckled as I saw the sauce all over her face.

I finished dinner in record time. I really wanted to get to bed. I was so excited about Christmas yesterday that I was up all night so now I really wanted to get some sleep if I was going to get up by 12. I charged up to my room and immediately fell onto my bed. I felt something hard against my back and reached back to look at what it was. I grabbed a rectangular frame and pulled it up to look at it. I smiled as I saw that it was the picture that Fang had given me. I scooted up on my bed and placed the frame on my night table.

No more than ten minutes later, I fell asleep.

I felt water dripping down onto my face and I jumped up. I slowly tried to open my eyes and saw Ella with wet hair standing over me. "Payback!" She screeched as she jumped and ran out of my room as I tried to grab her.

I ran my fingers through my, now wet, hair and tried not to get too mad. If it wasn't for her, I would have slept later than I needed to. I glanced over at my clock and saw that it was only ten in the morning. I sighed, sitting up and looking at myself in the mirror of my dresser. I was glad I had two hours before I had to go to Iggy's. I looked horrible. I had bags under my eyes and my hair was turning into an afro; nothing that couldn't be fixed with a shower.

I jumped out of bed and immediately felt my nose clog up. I must have been getting a cold. It was the first time this year so I didn't really mind. I picked up my towel and walked down to the bathroom. I took a relatively long shower before deciding to get out. I wrapped a towel around me and walked over to the mirror. I rubbed my hand on it, clearing off some of the condensation so I could actually see myself. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and started brushing my teeth. Five minutes later, I left the bathroom and went back to my room.

I got dressed in plain jeans and a tee shirt and then collapsed onto my bed. I groaned as I felt my hair soak my shirt. I took it out of the ponytail and tried to towel dry it. I glanced over at the clock and saw that it was already 11:30 so I grabbed my car keys and phone and started walking downstairs. I rounded the corner and walked into the kitchen, seeing my mom and sister already in there.

My mom was walking around busily, grabbing things here and there and putting them into a giant bag while on the phone. I walked over to Ella, who was watching carefully. "What's going on?" I asked.

"There's some emergency at the hospital so mom has to go there." She said, her eyes filled with worry. Ella always worried about the animals at the hospital just as much as our mom. "I'm going with her to help so you'll have to figure out something to do today." she added, picking up her iPod and jacket.

"Its fine," I said, walking over to the door to grab my own jacket. "I'm going to Iggy's anyway." She looked up and glared at me and I chuckled. "Relax Ells, relax." She signed and followed my mom into the living room.

"Max, we'll be back sometime tonight!" My mom shouted from the other room. I heard the door slam shut and a few seconds later, her car start.

I walked over to the table and grabbed a chocolate chip cookie out of the cookie jar. I smiled as I bit into it and walked into the living room. I slid my feet into my sneakers and shoved my arms through the sleeves on my jacket. I went out through the front door and over to my car. I climbed in and put the key into the ignition. I turned on the radio and started to sing along as I drove.

I got to Iggy's house ten minutes later and I was just about frozen. I walked up to the door and saw that it was already half way open. I finished opening it and walked in, making sure to close it behind me, seeing as it was so cold.

"Ig!" I called, stiffly taking off my jacket and gloves. I shoved my gloves in the pocket of my jacket and hung it on the coat rack in the hall. I'd been there way too many times not to know where everything is. "Ig! Where are you!" I called again, walking into the living room.

I looked around but didn't find him at all. I frowned and walked upstairs, figuring he was still asleep. As I got closer to his room, I heard music playing. So that was why he couldn't hear me. And he probably left the door open so I could let myself in, which I obviously did.

"Ig?" I called, knocking twice and opening the door to his room. I looked around and saw him sitting at his desk with a towel draped over his head, reading something on his computer. He spun around on his chair and the towel flew off his head.

"Hey Maxie!" he said, standing up. Only then did I realize that he had no shirt on and his hair was soaking wet. I guess that explained the towel. He walked over to me and dropped his arms on my waist, giving me a giant bear hug.

"Geez Ig! I never realized how tall you were!" I said, feeling him back up from me. I looked up and saw that he was at least six inches taller than me and I was tall to begin with.

"Eh, get used to it." He snorted, backing away from me. He started walking over to his closet and grabbed a bright yellow t-shirt with a robot on it. "Sorry I wasn't downstairs when you got here." He said, throwing the shirt over his shoulder and going over to turn off the music. "I just got out of the shower and I got really into the article I was reading." he explained.

"It's okay." I said, watching him close some windows about bombs on his laptop. "I know your house well enough to know where I'm going."

"Well lately you've practically lived here so I don't doubt that." He said, pulling his shirt over his head. I eyed him carefully. I never realized how well built he was. Usually I was too blown away by Fang's looks that I'd never really noticed Iggy in that way. "What are you looking at?" Iggy asked, a smirk falling on his lips.

"Uh, no-nothing" I said, blushing. I walked over to his bed and I plopped down onto it. I laid down and watched as he jumped onto the bed next to me. He landed on his stomach and looked over at me.

"Uh-huh, sure" he said, winking at me. I grinned and blushed, putting my hands over my face, trying to hide how red I was getting. He reached over and moved my hands off of my eyes, causing me to look over at him. "Relax; you look cute when you blush, Cinderella." He stood up while I just looked at him.

"Cinderella? Really?" I asked, grimly.

"Yeah! It's just like Fang said," He started, "You're blonde, and you look great in dresses." He said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Perv!" I laughed, jumping up and pulling him back down onto the bed. I leapt onto him and straddled his stomach, pinning his arms down. "Who's Cinderella now?" I asked, laughing at him.

He just grinned and flipped me over, this time pinning me down. "Hm," he pretending to think. "Still you," he laughed as I pouted. "Awe, Maxie don't pout! That's just too cute!" He said starting to frown.

"Fine!" I said, leaning up and biting him on the nose. He let go of my arms and lifted his hands up to his nose. I took that chance to knock him off of me and run out of the room. He ran right after me, occasionally reaching out and touching my back or arms. We raced down the stairs until I ran into the kitchen and stopped dead in front of the fridge, realizing that there was no other way out of the kitchen. Before I could turn around, I felt Iggy's arms wrap around my stomach and pull me up into the air. I tried to get out of his grip but he held onto me.

"Put me down!" I whined, turning my head so I was facing the side of his. "Please!" I begged.

"Fine." He said, walking over to the table. He put me down on it and stood in front of me. "You know, you're faster than you look." he said, looking me in the eye. "And you bite hard." He said, reaching up to touch his nose.

"Oh!" I said, looking at his nose and seeing my teeth marks in it. "Sorry! I didn't mean to bite you that hard!" I apologized. I leaned over and moved his hands out of the way so I could look at it.

"You should seriously register those teeth as lethal weapons!" he said, looking down at me. I leaned over and kissed him lightly on the nose. "Those lips are lethal, too" He said after a minute. I felt my face flush and hopped down off the table.

"I want nachos" I said, ignoring his comment. I walked over to the cabinet and grabbed a bag of chips and brought them over to the table where Iggy already had a plate and cheese. I poured the chips and cheese on the plate while Iggy brought it over to the microwave.

"So," Iggy said, starting the microwave and turning to face me.

"So," I said, copying him. I jumped back on the table and swung my legs underneath me. "What movie are we gonna watch. I think we should watch Shutter Island."

Iggy walked over to me and stood in front of my feet. "Only if you promise not to bite me again." he said, smirking at me. I stuck my tongue out at him and muttered a 'fine' and looked down at my knees. I heard the microwave beep and Iggy rushed over and took the plate.

"Geez Ig, does everything you make always come out perfect?" I said as I took a nacho and shoved it in my mouth, not caring that it was really hot.

"Yes, everything does." he said smugly. I elbowed him and smiled. "Oh you're just jealous of my cooking abilities!" He said grinning.

"Oh, totally!" I said rolling my eyes. "I mean, there's nothing else to be jealous of." I said, sticking out my tongue.

"Awe, Maxie! That hurt!" he exclaimed, holding his hands to his heart dramatically. "That really cut me deep!" he added, pretending like he was going to cry.

"Suck it up." I said, taking a nacho off of the plate. I dipped it in some of the excess cheese on the sides of the plate and stuck it in my mouth. "Have you ever thought of starting a restaurant or a catering business or something?" I asked.

"No, not really, why?" He responded, looking over at me curiously.

"Well you've always loved to cook, and everyone we know loves it when you do." I said, gesturing down at the plate of nachos. "I was just thinking how cool it would be if you actually started a restaurant or something and cook for everyone while actually making money."

"You know, I never really thought of that," he said, unnaturally serious. When it came to his future, Iggy was usually very serious. "But I really like that idea. Maybe I could join the CIA or something." he added thoughtfully.

"Ig, we've talked about this before," I said, smirking, "You just don't have what it takes to go into the CIA! You're so tall; you'd be spotted in a matter of seconds!" I added, sticking my tongue out.

"Oh hardy-har" he said, rolling his eyes. "I mean the Culinary Institute of America. CIA." He added, making me feel stupid.

"Oh," I said, looking down. "I totally knew that." I added quickly.

"Did you now?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at me skeptically.

"Psh, yes!" I said, grinning. He glared at me and I sighed. "Okay maybe I didn't but you've wanted to go into the CIA since you were, like, five!" I exclaimed, "How was I supposed to know you meant the Cooking Igloo in Alaska or whatever it was." I added, throwing my arms up.

He just stared at me for a minute, "Cooking Igloo is Alaska?" He asked, trying not to laugh. "You mean Culinary Institute of America and true, I have wanted to be a spy..." He trailed off, daydreaming.

"Come on," I said, grabbing his hand. "Let's go watch something." He grabbed the empty plate and put it in the dishwasher before we walked into the living room.

"So…" He said, looking over at me. "Cooking Igloo in Alaska, huh?" He asked, smiling. I smiled and elbowed him as we walked upstairs together. We reached his room and I jumped on his bed. He started the movie, closed the shades and turned off the lights. He jumped on the bed next to me.

About a half hour into the movie, I heard my phone start to ring. I sat up and leaned over Iggy, grabbing my phone off of his night table. I checked the caller ID and smiled.

"Hey" I said, motioning for Iggy to pause the movie. "What's up?" I smiled as I heard Fang's voice on the other side.

"Hey, Max. I was wondering if you wanted to go to the mall or something." he asked, it sounded like he was just sitting around. "I'm bored out of my mind!" He exclaimed.

"Actually I'm at Iggy's." I said, looking over at him. "We're hanging and watching horror movies again."

"Who is it?" Iggy asked from next to me. I mouthed 'Fang' and he nodded saying, "Ask him to come hang here."

"Why don't you come by here?" I asked, "Ig's parents aren't home so we're just eating everything in the house." I added, trying to persuade him. "There are nachos!" I cooed.

"Okay, okay." he laughed, "I'm on my way." he said and I could almost hear him smiling. "Bye"

"Bye." I said, hanging up. "He's coming." I said, leaning back over Iggy and putting my phone on the table.

"I guess we should pause it until he comes." Iggy said, sitting up once I got back to my place on the bed.

"That sounds like a good idea," I said, turning towards him. "So about the party," I added, catching his attention. He looked up and looked me straight in the eye.

"So am I allowed to escort you to le par-tay?" he smiled, showing off his white teeth. I couldn't help but smile back. He just looked so goofy.

"Yes, you are going to be my escort." I said, smiling. He grinned and hugged me, squeezing my arms to my sides.

"Yay!" He said and I couldn't help but laugh. "I get to take Maxie out! Maybe you are Cinderella after all." he pondered, laughing.

"I don't think so." I said, trying not to picture myself as Cinderella. "I just can't see me wearing those schmancy dresses and high heels all the time." I said, frowning and looking down at my hands.

"You're right." He said, looking at me intently. "You're just Max and Max can kick Cinderella's butt any day." he said, grinning over at me.

"And don't you forget it." I said, sticking my tongue out. He smiled and pulled me into a hug. I felt the warmth coming off of his skin and sighed. It really was cold.

"But I wouldn't pass up the chance to see you try and walk in heels again." He said and I playfully punched him in the arm.

"Yeah, you just want to see me fall on my face." I said grimly. "I'm surprised I didn't at the dance." I added, remembering how I didn't fall once.

"You must be so proud of yourself." He said, looking at me from the corner of his eye. "I mean, you can barely walk in a straight line in sneakers, just taking one step with heels on must have been torture!" he exclaimed dramatically.

"Hey! I did well with the heels!" I said, smirking. "And I looked damn good too!" I said proudly.

"Well I can't argue with you there." He said, winking. I smiled at him and he smiled back. Just then, I heard the doorbell ring. I turned to face Iggy and a huge grin spread across my face.

"Fangs here!" I exclaimed, jumping off of the bed and running downstairs. Iggy took his time behind me, not bothering to run downstairs.

I reached the main floor and walked over to the door. I opened it and smiled as Fang walked in, white snow gleaming in his dark hair. I smiled and stepped back, just in time for Iggy to come downstairs.

"So I heard something about nachos?" Fang said- more like asked as he tore off his jacket. Unlike me, he just slung it over the couch.

"We already ate them, dude. You're too late." Iggy said from the stairs, smiling over at Fang. They walked over to each other and did that 'man hug' yet again, muttering things like "How you doing?" and "What's up home slice?" I think you can tell who said what.

I walked up and up a hand on each of their shoulders, "Now that this little bromance moment is over, let's go watch movies." I said. They both looked at each other and then back at me, grinning evilly. Ooh, I was in for it. I began to run upstairs but Fang caught me before I reached the bottom step. He threw me over his shoulder as Iggy walked over to me. He leaned in close to my face and whispered, "Payback." Then he bit my nose. Hard.

"Ow!" I exclaimed, trying not to laugh. "I didn't bite you that hard!" I felt Fang's grip on me loosen as he put me down.

"Who bit what?" He asked, his eyes showed confusion but there was more emotion hidden underneath it.

"Iggy kept calling me Cinderella so I bit his nose." I said, shrugging. "I couldn't use my arms, so I used my teeth." I said, narrowing my eyes at Iggy.

"Yeah, but I owe you something." Iggy said, looking down at me. I gave him a confused look and he leaned over and kissed me on the nose. I laughed and punched his arm.

"You know, I really didn't need that." I said, glaring over at Iggy. Fang just looked between us, his eyebrows furrowed.

"What's going on with you two?" Fang asked; that unknown emotion showing back up in his eyes.

"Nothing," Iggy said truthfully at the same time that I said, "We're just goofing off." Fang looked at us skeptically but he shrugged it off. "Why?" I asked, looking up at him, all the sudden feeling extremely short.

"You two just seem different" he said, shrugging. We all looked around at each other awkwardly.

"Let's make popcorn!" Iggy suddenly screamed as he ran into the kitchen like a superhero. Fang and I just looked at each other and smiled. He put his hand to the small of my back and lightly pushed me towards the kitchen.

"He's weird." I said, looking over at Fang.

"When'd you figure that out?" he said, sarcastically as we walked into the kitchen and saw dancing as he heard the popcorn popping. "I think he might be going insane." Fang whispered, his lips starting to curve up.

"I think he already went insane." I corrected him, smirking.

Iggy looked up from where he was ballroom dancing with the hair and frowned at me. "I'm not insane, Maxie, you were the one who wanted to go to an igloo in Alaska." he laughed. I smiled and shook my head.

"What are you two talking about?" Fang asked, obviously amused. "Or do I not want to know?" He asked again.

"I'll explain later." I said, smiling up at him. I looked at his eyes and saw that they were sparkling. That was something I hadn't seen in months. I smiled and looked down.

The timer on the popcorn went off and Iggy pulled it out of the microwave. He poured it into the bowl and walked over to us. "Come on" I said, smiling. "Let's go watch the movie" I added, grabbing both of their hands, pulling them upstairs. I expected them both to let go but they both tightened their grip.

I shoved them into Iggy's room where we all took our places on Iggy's bed. We took turns going downstairs to make more popcorn and when I was alone with Fang or Iggy, the conversation never stopped but when they were alone together, it seemed like they didn't even talk. After about three movies, I fell asleep, probably using someone as a pillow seeing as there was barely enough room on Iggy's bed to fit all three of.

I woke up the next morning in my own room. It took me about five minutes to actually muster up the strength to sit up but after I did, I realized that it was already almost ten. I sat there questioning how I got to my house when heard a groan from my desk chair. I looked over and saw Fang sitting there, stretching out.

"Oh my gosh! Fang, what are you still doing here?" I asked, getting out of bed. I guessed that he brought me home after I had fallen asleep and everyone knows that not even an earthquake can wake me up.

He didn't answer me right away. It took him a minute to stretch out from sleeping in a chair all night. I walked over to him and helped him up, feeling his wrist crack as I pulled him.

"Why are you still here?" I asked again, this time expecting a response. He looked down at me and smiled.

"Last night when we left you're mom called and told me that she and Ella were staying late at the clinic and that they would leave early in the morning to go back." he said, stretching his back. "I answered your phone and explained everything and she asked if I would stay with you 'because apparently you've been stressed lately?" he said, but it ended up sounding more like a question.

"Geez, Fang, you didn't have to stay!" I said, frowning at him. He just gave me a look saying 'what did you expect me to do?' and I frowned again. "You could have slept in, I don't know, a bed! We have a guest room and we've slept in the same bed before." I said; mad at myself for unknowingly making him sleep in a desk chair.

"I was going to go to the guest room but I was watching you sleep and I just fell asleep." He said, shrugging. By now we were sitting on my bed, facing each other and just talking.

"Max? Can I ask you something?" He asked randomly. I nodded, encouraging him to go on. "What was really going on with you and Iggy last night?" He asked in a no-nonsense tone.

"Honestly Fang, it actually was nothing." I answered. After seeing his doubtful expression, I explained some more. "Ever since our fight, Iggy and I have gotten really close. We were just goofing off. If you ask him, he'll say the same thing."

Fang nodded, accepting this as a practical answer. "Can I ask you another question?" He asked. I had an urge to say something sarcastic about that being another question but I tried to ignore it.

Instead I said, "Sure, ask away."

"What's the deal with the party?" He asked, "I mean, Iggy told me that you two were going and that he was your 'escort' but what's going on?" I sighed. I knew this question was coming.

"The other night he asked if I would go with him and I said yes." I said, frowning. "I mean, we're best friends, why shouldn't we go to parties together?" I asked, furrowing my brow at his expression.

"Max, I don't think that was the way he meant it." Fang said carefully.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what?" He said after a moment. "Never mind," He continued with a smile. "Let's go get lunch. I have to go meet Lissa this afternoon, but the rest of my morning is devoted to you." He added, making my day. He got up and held out his hand, which I took and stood up.

We started walking down the hallway together when he said, "Hey Max?" I looked up at him, "You're amazing."

"Thanks." I said, "But that was random."

"Well I thought you could use a compliment." He said and I could have sworn his cheeks were a little pink. "You haven't been getting enough of them lately."

"Well then right back at you." I replied, smiling.

* * *

Okay everyone, so I know that this chapter is really, really weird and not my best but hey, it's an update, right? It's just a little more interaction between Max, Iggy, and Fang (mainly because I love to write about them goofing off.)

Please review and feel free to yell at me for not updating because I know I deserve it! :P


	20. Chapter 20

Hello people!

So I'm finally getting back to a regular updating schedule and I'm going to try to get a new chapter out every week. Also, in a few of my A/N's I've mentioned having a 20 chapter story and a lot of people have asked me about it. No, it's not going to be 20 chapters BUT it definitely won't have more than 30. I'm still working all of that out.

You people might hate me for this chapter, you might love me, and you might want to yell at me for being cliché but… let's see what you think!

Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

"Max, what are you talking about?" My mom asked me as I plopped down onto my chair. "You've been talking about this party for days! You get to see Iggy and Fang and all of your other friends!" She added, a more confused expression coming across her face.

"I don't know." I said, frowning. "I just don't really want to go anymore. Plus I'm already getting sick! I think I caught something when I was outside with Fang on Christmas." I said, for once not faking sickness.

My mom looked down at me, her eyebrows furrowed. "You do look a little pale." She said, reaching over and putting the back of her hand on my forehead. "But you don't have a temperature." She added.

"But I might get sick and throw up all over!" I said, trying my hardest to get out of the party. "Maybe I should stay home." I added hopefully.

She sighed and frowned at me. "Look, I'll make you a deal." She said, making me sit on the edge of my seat.

"I'm listening."

"If you go to the party and at least try to have fun, then I'll be waiting here tomorrow morning with a fresh tray of Ella's chocolate chip cookies." She said, knowing that I couldn't resist those cookies. "At least stay for an hour. You need to get out of the house more. If you really do feel sick then come on home. I'm sure Iggy wouldn't mind taking you."

I thought it over. After an hour, I'd be able to come back and I'd get cookies. That sounded like a great deal to me. "Done." I said, reaching my hand out to shake hers. We were very efficient when it came to deals and bets.

"Okay, I'm going to go get ready for my own party." She said, winking as she walked out of my room. I frowned and turned to face the mirror on the wall behind my desk. I took my hair out of the ponytail and let it fall down my shoulders. I shook, suddenly getting the chills as I stood up.

Ella had already left for her own party so I didn't have to worry about her trying to dress me up. I walked over to my closet and just reached in, pulling out whatever my hands hit first. I pulled out a pair of light grey jeans and a dark red v-neck tee shirt. I quickly changed and walked back over to my desk, pulling a small jewelry box out of the bottom drawer.

I pulled out a silver necklace with a small wing on it and put it on, straightening it out as soon as it touched my neck. Then I stuck a silver and red ring and put the box back into the drawer. I never really liked to wear jewelry but I felt like switching things up. I shoved my feet into socks and then into my old black converse.

"Max, I'm leaving." My mom said, poking her head into my room. I realized that she had already had her hair and make –up done when she was in my room before.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." I said, smiling over at her. I went to turn around but she stood in the doorway and I paused, turning back around. "What?" I asked, seeing her stare at me.

"Oh, nothing!" She said like a little kid. I glared at her and she sighed. "You just look so much like your grandmother did when she was your age." She said, smiling lightly. She walked up to me and gently moved my hair off of my shoulders. "You're beautiful, Max, and don't you forget it!" She said, winking. I smiled and watched her walk out.

_Well that was weird,_ I thought to myself as I grabbed my bomber jacket and started to walk downstairs. I took the steps two at a time, sniffling a little at each step. I needed one last cookie before Iggy came. I walked into the kitchen and dropped my jacket on a chair as I reached for the cookie jar.

I must have eaten about ten cookies by the time Iggy got to my house. "What, you didn't save any for me?" He asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"Do you ever knock?" I asked, wondering how he got into the house. "Or use the doorbell? Or even let the people know you're in their house for that matter?"

"No, not really." He said, smiling over at me as he grabbed the cookie out of my hand and shoved it in his mouth. He smirked at my hurt expression.

"That's not very nice." I said, putting the lid back on the jar and putting it back on the counter. I walked back over and slid my jacket on.

"Whoever said I was nice, Maxie?" Iggy said, laughing when I stuck my tongue out at him. "Let's go," he said in-between laughs.

"So do you know who is going to be there?" I asked once we had been in the car for a few minutes.

"Well there is us, Fang, Lissa, Sam and Tess, uh," He said, thinking. "I think that Josh is going to be there with some girl." He added, looking over at me.

"Josh has a girlfriend?" I asked, shocked. "I haven't seen him since school." I mused, trying to think of anyone he may have liked.

"Yeah it turns out that his younger sister is twelve or something and she made friends with his girlfriend's sister. Then they met somehow or something." He said, shrugging.

"Good for him!" I said, getting over the initial shock. "I hope we see them tonight."

"Me too." He added, "You know, I actually thought Josh was gay until I heard about him and that girl."

"Does she have a name, or is she just 'that girl'?" I asked, smirking over at him.

"Actually, she's 'that girl over there with the face and outrageously large nostrils'." he answered, smirking back at me as I burst out laughing. It took me a minute but once I stopped laughing he said, "I don't know her name. I just heard that he started dating a girl in his art class."

"Well you could have said that instead of insulting her nostrils!" I said as he parked on the street next to a huge house with music blaring.

"Fine," He said, "Her nostrils are normal size. You happy now?" He asked and I nodded, trying not to burst out laughing again.

I got out of the car and stared at the house for a minute. Iggy had to push me towards the driveway to get me to stop zoning out. We walked in and I was surprised to see almost the entire contents of the junior and senior classes and even some people from other schools.

I looked over at Iggy to tell him something but I figured it would be pointless because of how loud the music was. We just walked farther in until we found someone we knew. I looked over to my left and saw a group of people I knew, but I didn't really feel like talking to them. I saw Sam with his arm around Tess. I smiled, remembering when Iggy told me that they got together after the dance. Next to them, I saw Josh standing with both of his arms wrapped around a blonde girl I recognized as Melissa from my English class. I smiled and elbowed Iggy, pointing over to them. He grinned and grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the area where everyone was dancing to some Lady Gaga song.

"Max! Iggy!" I heard a high pitched voice shout from my right. I looked over and saw Lissa standing with Fang and a few other people. I smiled and waved, yanking on Iggy's arm, causing him to run into me. We stumbled and fell over to where they were standing, trying to contain our laughter. "Hey!" Lissa said, reaching over. I hugged her and then let her hug Iggy. She really wasn't that bad of a girl.

I walked over to Fang and smiled. "Hey you." He said, leaning down and hugging me tight.

I smiled again and broke away from him, taking a step back to stand next to Iggy while Lissa walked back over to Fang.

We stood there talking-or rather shouting over the music for about a half hour before Iggy decided that we should go dance. I was kind of relieved to have an excuse to stop talking about hair styles for cheerleading with Lissa. She was a nice girl but we just didn't have anything in common.

"Come on!" Iggy said, flashing his blinding smile as he pulled my hand. I pulled off my jacket and threw it onto the couch as I shoved my phone into my pocket. I let him pull me into the middle of the dance floor. I smiled as some pop song came on and I felt Iggy's hands grip my waist. I smirked up at him and started swaying my hips to the music, occasionally stepping on people's feet because as everyone may know, I'm not the best dancer. I looked up and caught a glimpse of Lissa dragging Fang upstairs. I shook my head and looked back at Iggy, who was looking at me questionably.

I shook my head and smiled, not wanting to yell over the music to tell him that I was okay. He took the hint and smiled again. The song ended and I turned, standing on my toes to look up at the DJ. He looked like he was having the time of his life but everyone could tell that he was completely wasted. I started laughing with the rest of the crowd as he tripped and fell down the stairs of the stage (they brought it in when setting up for the party). I watched some senior kid walk up to the turntables and smile as he put his headphones in. I recognized him as one of the duo of guys who already had jobs in the music industry because they were so good.

"Let's slow this down a bit." he said, looking at one spot in the crowd where his friend was trying, and failing, in getting a girl to dance. I let out a chuckle and turned back to Iggy.

"I don't think he's ever going to get that girl." Iggy said, letting out a laugh.

"Why not?" I said, turning to look at who it was but I couldn't see over the crowd of heads taller than me.

"He's trying to dance with Brigid." He said simply. He must have seen the confused look on my face so he explained, "This totally screwed up senior. I swear, someday she's going to be some kind of pedophile." He said and I laughed, making a mental note to look for her in school.

Iggy's hands went back to my waist as the song playing got a little slower. I smiled and went along with everyone else, putting my head against his shoulder, but seeing as Iggy was about six inches taller than me, my head was against his chest. I heard him chuckle as I tried going on my tip toes to try and be as tall as him. Obviously, it wasn't working.

"Hey Max?" I heard him say after we had been dancing for a minute.

"Yeah?" I said, pulling my head up to look him straight in the eye. I saw his lips moving but I couldn't hear anything over the music. I felt his hand move from my hip to my cheek as he slowly leaned in.

I panicked.

I jumped back, knocking into the people behind me. "I'm sorry, Ig, I- I can't." I stuttered, turning and running through the crowd, leaving Iggy standing there, alone and confused.

I ran over to the stairs and sprinted up them, trying to remember where everything was. I had been here for a party once before but I wasn't sure where everything was. I finally reached a bedroom and I walked in, wanting a quiet place to think. I opened the door and looked up, stopping dead in my tracks.

I saw Fang, back against the wall, with Lissa in front of him kissing. They both broke away and looked at me when they heard the door open. I noticed that Lissa had tears in her eyes. "Uhm, sorry," I said, trying to stop my eyes from getting as wide as dinner plates. I heard Fang call my name as I took a quick step back and quickly walked back downstairs, fighting my way through the crowd of people and out the front door.

I rushed past a couple sitting on the porch steps and once I was on the sidewalk, I just sat on the curb next to Iggy's car. I just put my head in my hands and thought. I wanted to go home so badly.

"Hey, Max?" A voice called from right behind me. I felt a cold hand on my shoulder and I turned around, seeing Josh. He must have been one of the two sitting on the porch.

"Yeah?" I said, wiping my eyes even there were no tears.

"Are you okay?" He asked genuine worry on his face. "You look like you really want to get out of here." He said, "Can I do anything for you?" He added, taking it from my expression that I didn't want him to answer any questions.

"Could you just get Iggy please?" I asked, taking his hand and standing up. "You're right. I just want to get out of here." I said.

"No problem." He said, grinning at me. "I'll be right back." He added, hugging my softly.

"Thank you." I called out after him as he jogged back to the house. He walked into the house with Melissa, who looked back at me worriedly. I sat back down on the curb and listened for the door to open again, replaying everything that had gone on tonight. I knew it wasn't a good idea to come. I heard the door open twice and I turned around, seeing both Fang and Iggy walking outside. Leave it to my two best friends to want to talk to me when I don't want to talk to them.

I stood up and looked at Iggy first. He looked like he never wanted to talk to me again. His eyes were confused, hurt, and ashamed. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I watched as Fang stopped Iggy and after a minute, Iggy thanked Fang and ran back inside. I looked over at Fang, confused as he walked closer. I looked down at his hand and saw my jacket tightly grasped in it.

"Where's Iggy going?" I asked, looking at Iggy walking through the front door.

"He said he doesn't really want to talk to you right now." Fang said, confused. "Can you explain that to me? Oh, and I'll take you home. I didn't really want to come to this party anyway." He added, smirking. I felt my lips curve up and his smirk changed to a smile. "That's more like it. Now what happened?" He asked as he took me over to his car. I felt the snow fall onto my head and shoulders and looked up, figuring a storm was coming.

"Uh, well," I stuttered, not wanting to tell him. He just put my jacket over my shoulders and waited. "We were dancing and then he said something and then he tried to kiss me and then I ran away because I really don't want to kiss him and I don't think he really wanted to kiss me." I said all in one breath. I wasn't even sure that Fang had heard all of it.

"He-he tried to kiss you?" Fang asked, leaning over to pull open the passenger side door to his truck. I looked at his grip on the car door and saw that his knuckles were white.

"Yeah but I don't even think he likes me like that." I said, positive that I was right. "But that's when I ran upstairs and walked in on…" I said, trailing off as he shut the door after I got in and walked around to the driver's seat.

"… on me and Lissa." He said, finishing my thought.

"Yeah," I said as he started the engine. "Why was she crying?" I asked, wondering if Fang had done something.

"Uh," he said, pulling out onto the street. "I kind of told her that I wanted to take a break." He said, shrugging.

"Why? I thought you really liked her." I asked, shocked.

He just looked at me out of the corner of his eye and gave me a grim look. "I do. Kind of. Okay not really; she's just _really _clingy. It was really getting annoying." he admitted, frowning.

"If you wanted to take a break then why do you look so sad about it?" I asked, looking at his expression.

"I'm not sad," He started, "It's just… I made her cry. Beyond popular belief, guys don't like to make girls cry." he said, looking over at me. I felt my whole body jerk as he stopped at a stop light. "But I'm glad I did it. I mean, she uses this really sticky lip gloss crap. I swear my lips are going to stick together for the rest of my life!" I tried to hold it back but I chuckled, a smile finally falling on my lips.

"There we go." He said, leaning over and moving some hair out of my face. "There's the Max we love." he said and I blushed. We sat there in silence for the rest of the ride. It wasn't one of those awkward silences though. It was comfortable.

"Here we are." Fang said, pulling into my driveway. I looked up at him and gave a small smile. "You know, it's really helpful that we're neighbors. I don't even have to drive home now. My car can just live in your driveway tonight." He said, looking over at me.

"Very funny." I said dryly. "Come on, you're making me hot chocolate." I said, looking at the snow start to fall harder while I climbed out of his truck.

"Ah, if I must!" he said turning the car off and throwing his keys on to the seat. He walked over to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to his chest. We started walking up the driveway but about halfway there, I slipped on a patch of black ice.

I fell on my back and as soon as I landed, I burst out laughing. "Are you okay?" Fang asked, immediately putting his hands out to help me up. I nodded, still unable to speak from my uncontrollable laughter and grabbed his hand, letting him pull me up. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, clearing my hair from my face and looking straight into my eyes.

"Y-yeah," I said, looking into his deep brown eyes and feeling a shiver run down my spine. "I'm fine."

I saw some of the pure white snow fall onto his eyelashes and smiled. I leaned up and gave him a small peck on the lips. I smiled, blushed, and started walking up to my house, leaving him standing there looking at me. I heard his footsteps behind me and I opened the front door, walking in and turned on the lights.

"Come on, I'll make you that hot chocolate." He said, walking past me. I saw a smile on his face and couldn't help but smile myself.

Ten minutes later we were sitting on my bed with our hot chocolate, watching some cheesy movie about New Years. I put my hot chocolate down on my nightstand next to Fang's empty cup and looked over at him. We had the lights off, mainly because we really didn't plan on either of us going anywhere.

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked, changing my position so I was facing him.

"Was that it or is there another one?" He asked, smirking as I frowned at him. "What is it?" He asked, egging me on.

"What was the real reason you broke up with Lissa?" I asked, knowing that he didn't tell me everything when we were in the car. He took a deep breath and sighed.

"The truth?" He asked and I nodded. "The truth is that I kind of have a crush on someone else." He said. I frowned and looked down at my hands. "Actually it's kind of more than just a crush. I think I might actually love her." He added. I tried everything to avoid his gaze but after a few moments he sighed and pulled my chin up to look at him. "Geez, Max! For someone so smart, you can be really stupid sometimes!"

"Wha-?" I started but he cut me off by bringing his lips down to mine. It took me a minute to register but after a moment, I closed my eyes and brought my hand up to his cheek. He kissed me sweetly and as I felt his lips move against mine, I felt completely safe.

He pulled his head back and rested his forehead against mine. He kissed my nose softly and I smiled, looking into his eyes. "Yeah, I think I might love her."

* * *

Sooooo that was my insanely cheesy chapter 20!

I tried to make it as un-cliché as possible but to be honest, I kind of like the cheesy, overused scenes where Max and Fang get together…

But anyways... Like I said, some of you may hate me; some might love me; and feel free to yell at me for being cheesy and cliché!


	21. Chapter 21 AN Sorry!

Hey!

Before I go into my long-winded speech about how sorry I am that I've been kinda dead lately. I'd just like to say, thank you to all of the people who have read, reviewed, favorited, and most importantly, enjoyed my story Guardian Angel. It's really cool when you start off on this site with no readers and then gain so many. :)

I know that I've mentioned in previous chapters that I would be making this story longer than 20 chapters but I'm honestly not feeling this story any more. I think that I left the story in a good place with Max and Fang so, I won't be continuing it. BUT if and of you have any questions on what I was going to do with it or just about Guardian Angel in general, just review asking it, or PM me and I'll try and answer as fast as I can. :)

Soo, now onto the long-winded-apology-that-I-owe-you-guys-so-much-because-I-haven't-been-on-this-website-in-about-3985-years. I'm SOOOOO sorry. I've been meaning to get back on but because of my workload in school with other activities, I haven't had enough time! Also, every time I tried to get on, I had total writers block. I'm hoping I'll be able to start coming on more often and if I do, I'll have some new stories too. Once again, I'm soooooooooooooooo sorry!

One last thing, I have a few ideas for future stories that could be pretty fun, but if any of you are still following this story and reading this, if you have anything you'd like me to write about in the meantime, suggest it. I'll most likely end up doing it if I like the idea enough.

Once again, thank you so much for staying with me through all of my random hiatuses and I hope that you amazing people will still read my stories:)

So... uh... bye :) haha


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